Owen envisions the Lady in the Street as a type of Jonah, awash in a turbulent sea and swallowed by a great fish. This might be a good time to recall how Jonah wound up in the belly of that fish.

God tells Jonah to go to the evil city of Nineveh and warn its people of their impending destruction. Jonah doesn’t want to do what God asks, so he hurries to the docks and sneaks onto a boat, figuring that God will just leave him alone. But God is relentless; he hurls a terrifying storm at the ship. Curled up in the hull, Jonah sleeps through the storm until the frightened crew discovers him. Jonah concedes that he’s to blame for their predicament because God is hounding him, personally. Jonah offers to be thrown overboard, the sailors take Jonah up on the deal, and the storm stops immediately. The joyful crew thanks God, but meanwhile, poor Jonah is drowning. But God doesn’t abandon Jonah. He orders a sea monster to save Jonah by swallowing him whole. The sea monster, the only character in the story– at least so far—who does what God asks, keeps Jonah alive for three whole days before depositing him on a beach, safe and sound.