Suddenly the ocean waters began to
break through
over the westward hills and to pour in upon these primitive peoples — the lake that had been their home and friend, became their enemy; its waters rose and never abated; their settlements were
submerged; the waters pursued them in their flight.
The three self - evidently incompatible activities are not juxtaposed as
broken fragments, but synthesized into an expressive whole that is at once funny and tragic — though, in the end, more tragic than funny, especially since that pathetic little hand straining agonizingly
over a massive head that's mostly
submerged in the water barely looks like it could propel even the lightest body forward.11