The action is arranged in two distinct pyramidal shapes. The diagonal lines lead the eye to two key peaks: the wave that may or may not engulf the survivors on the raft, and the flag in the top right corner that is raised in a last gesture of hope to the ship that may or may not rescue them.
At this point in their story it is uncertain what will happen to the survivors. The two pyramids serve to isolate the two distinct possibilities: rescue or massacre.