In this allegory, Attar contrasts two travelers on a ship: one who carries a heavy load of iron and another who carries light pelican feathers. When the ship is wrecked, the heavy iron drags the greedy man down into the water, while the light feathers allow the second traveler to float safely to the shore. Symbolically, the iron represents the heavy burden of worldly attachments and sins, whereas the pelican feathers represent the spiritual lightness and detachment necessary for the soul to navigate the sea of faith and achieve salvation.