As a young adult, the boy will have new-found freedom and life will seem to be perfect, hence the perfect square shape of the pool. Being as deep as it is, this pool allows for exploration and discovery. However, the depth of the water will force the boy to stay afloat without a bottom to catch him. There are lifeguards to help him in situations of dire need, but he must take risks and make his own decisions. The characteristics of the deep diving tank parallel adult life very accurately. The grown ups are on their own and may make mistakes, but can also go deeper into life and search for it's treasures. .
The third area of the pool is the deck on which the parents lounge. There is nothing to explore on the deck, for the parents have already taken their turn in both the child stage and the young adult stage of life. Unlike the pool it has no adventure and there are no risks involved at all. The parents no longer need this excitement. The deck serves as an area to watch children explore the pool and grow up on their own. To support this idea, Wallace writes, "The deck chairs have been marking time all afternoon, rotating, tracking the sun's curve across a desert sky- (5). The chairs on the deck symbolize the passing of time by turning with the sun like a clock or sundial. Time is carefully monitored by the parents who are well aware that their lives are ticking past them. .
The last section of the pool is where the elderly walk across the shallows. These people, like the children, must have a firm pool bottom beneath them. They drag their fingers in the water due to their fragility to test every move as if they are unsure with the new world that has developed around them. They have already had their chance to explore and they now need a bottom to hold them safely out of danger. By dividing the pool into four obviously different sections, Wallace is further developing the parallel between the afternoon at the pool and the process of maturation and is setting life into simply divided stages.