THE THIRD LEVEL

Click HERE to read the lesson 'The Third Level'.

[Acknowledgment: The questions and answers provided in this section are inspired by the themes and content of the NCERT English textbooks. For further reference, please consult the NCERT materials.]

Summary of 'The Third Level'

The Third Level is a thought-provoking short story by Jack Finney that delves into themes of escapism, nostalgia, and the intricate boundaries between reality and imagination. The narrative centers on Charley, a 31-year-old man living in the bustling environment of New York City, who stumbles upon a mysterious "third level" at Grand Central Station. The Third level, unlike the well-known first two levels, serves as a portal to the past—specifically, to the year 1894, a time that Charley associates with simplicity and tranquility.

Overwhelmed by the pressures of modern life, including the fast pace of urban existence and the complexities of adult responsibilities, Charley becomes fixated on this discovery. He confides in his psychiatrist friend, Sam Weiner, who dismisses the idea as a figment of Charley's imagination, suggesting that it is merely a coping mechanism for his dissatisfaction with contemporary life. Despite Sam's skepticism, Charley remains convinced of the third level's reality, even going so far as to acquire old currency in hopes of purchasing a train ticket to Galesburg, Illinois, in 1894.

The story takes a dramatic turn when Sam, who initially doubted Charley’s experiences, mysteriously vanishes. Charley later discovers a letter from Sam postmarked from 1894, confirming that he has indeed reached the third level. This twist leaves readers questioning the nature of reality and fantasy, as it suggests that Charley’s longing for the past may have manifested into a tangible experience.

Through its blend of fantasy and psychological depth, The Third Level invites readers to explore human nature's inherent desire to seek refuge in nostalgia. It reflects on the common yearning for a simpler, happier time, contrasting the complexities of contemporary life with the perceived innocence of the past. The story ultimately raises profound questions about the nature of reality, the significance of memory, and the lengths to which individuals will go to escape their current circumstances.

Related Themes and Analysis

1. Escapism and Nostalgia: The story underscores the human tendency to escape into the past as a response to modern life's challenges. Charley’s fascination with 1894 symbolizes a universal desire to return to a time perceived as less complicated and more fulfilling.

2. Reality vs. Fantasy: Finney expertly blurs the lines between what is real and what is imagined. Charley’s experiences challenge readers to consider how much of our perception of reality is shaped by our desires and fears.

3. Psychological Depth: The interactions between Charley and Sam highlight the struggle between rational thought and emotional longing. Sam represents a logical perspective, while Charley embodies the emotional pull of nostalgia, illustrating the conflict between reason and feeling.

4. Symbolism of Grand Central Station: The setting of Grand Central Station serves as a metaphor for the intersection of different times and lives. It is a place of transit, where the past, present, and future converge, emphasizing the story's themes of time and memory.

5. The Nature of Time: The concept of the third level raises questions about the nature of time itself. This exploration invites readers to ponder their relationship with time and how it shapes their identities and experiences.

Conclusion

The Third Level is not just a tale of a man’s journey into the past; it is a profound commentary on the human condition. By examining Charley’s experiences, readers are encouraged to reflect on their own lives, the pressures they face, and the ways they seek solace from the complexities of the present. Finney's masterful storytelling and rich thematic exploration make this short story a timeless piece that resonates with anyone who has ever yearned for a simpler time.

Additional Questions of the lesson 'The Third Lesson'.

1. Who will swear that Grand Central Station has only two levels?

Ans: The presidents of the New York Central and the New York, New Haven, and Hartford railroads will swear on a stack of timetables that there are only two levels at Grand Central Station.

2. What did his psychiatrist friend say when Charley told him about the third level at the Grand Central Station?

Ans: The psychiatrist friend said that it was a waking-dream wish fulfilment. Likewise, he said that Charley was an unhappy person and that the modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and that he wanted to escape from reality.

3. What hobby did Charley have?

Ans:- Charley had a hobby of stamp collecting.

4. What did Charley consider stamp collecting as?

Ans:- Charley considered stamp collecting as a 'temporary refuge from reality'.

5. Why didn’t Charley’s grandfather need any refuge from reality?

Ans:-Charley’s grandfather didn’t need any refuge from reality because things were pretty nice and peaceful in his days.

6. Who started Charley’s stamp collection? What did he collect?

Ans:- Grandfather started Charley’s stamp collection. He collected blocks of four of practically every U.S. issue and first-day covers.

7. What happened at Grand Central Station one night OR How did Charley reach the third level of Grand Central Station OR Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story?

Ans:- One night last summer, Charley worked late at the office. He was in a hurry to get uptown to his apartment so he decided to take the subway from Grand Central. He went to the first level then he took another flight to the second level, ducked into an arched doorway heading for the subway. The corridor began angling left, slanting downward, turned left and he came across a flight of stairs which led him to the third level of Grand Central Station.

8. Why does Charley say that Grand Central Station is growing like a tree OR has become an exit, a way of escape for so many people OR Why would he often get lost on the Grand Central Station?

Ans:- Charley says that Grand Central Station grows like a tree pushing out new corridors, doorways and staircases like roots. There were complicated passages wherein a person would get confused and lost. There is probably a tunnel that led him once to the lobby of Roosevelt Hotel, another time in an office building on Forty-sixth Street, another to Times Square and to Central Park.

9. What did Charley see on the third level of Grand Central Station OR How did Charley understand that he was on the third level and not on the second level of the Grand Central Station?

Ans:- Charley saw that the room was smaller, with fewer ticket windows and fewer train gates, and the information booth was wood and old-looking. The man in the booth wore a green eyeshade and long black sleeve protectors. The lights were dim and flickering. There were open-flame gaslights and brass spittoons. He saw so many beards, sideburns, and fancy mustaches. The women wore leg-of-mutton sleeves and skirts to the top of their high-buttoned shoes. He saw a Currier & Ives locomotive and glanced at the newspaper ‘The World’ as he walked to the newsboy.

10. What kind of people did Charley see at the third level?

Ans: Charley saw men and women dressed in ‘eighteen-ninety-something’. He saw men having fancy mustaches, beards, and sideburns. The men wore long-sleeved protectors, four-button suits with tiny lapels, derby hats, and pocket gold watches. The women wore dresses with legs of mutton sleeves and long skirts to the top of their high-buttoned shoes.

11. Who was Charley?

Ans:- Charley, the narrator of the story was an ordinary guy, thirty-one years old and he wore a tan gabardine suit and a straw hat with a fancy band.

12. Why were the lights dim and flickering?

Ans:- The lights were dim and flickering as they were open-flame gaslights.

13. How did Charley’s eye catch a glint of light across the station?

Ans:- Across the station, a man pulled a gold watch from his vest pocket snapped open the cover, glanced at his watch and frowned. The train he was waiting for didn't arrive on the tracks. He wore a derby hat, a black four-button suit with tiny lapels, and a big black handlebar mustache.

14. How did Charley make sure that he had reached the third level of 1894?

Ans:- To make sure, Charley walked over to a newsboy glanced at the newspaper ‘The World’ and read the lead story about President Cleveland. Later when he left the Third Level, he went to the Public Library and found the same in it being printed June 11, 1894.

15. Why did Charley go to the ticket windows of the third level?

Ans:- Charley went to the ticket windows of the third level to buy tickets for Louisa and him to go to Galesburg of 1894.

16. Describe Galesburg of 1894.

Ans:- Galesburg is a wonderful town with big old frame houses, huge lawns and tremendous trees whose branches would meet overhead and roof the streets. The summer evenings were twice as long, people sat out on their lawns, the men smoking cigars and talking quietly, the women waving palm-leaf fans, with the fire-flies all around in a peaceful world.

17. Why did Charley get out fast from the third level OR Why did the clerk refuse to accept Charley’s money?

Ans:- Charley went to the ticket window of the third level of the Grand Central Station to buy two coach tickets to go to Galesburg of 1894. The clerk told him the fare and glanced at his fancy hatband. While Charley was counting the money the clerk stared at him and told him that that was not the money and that if he had come to steal cash from his drawer then he wouldn't go far away but would end up in jail. And the condition in the jail of 1894 was not good either.

18. How was the money of 1894?

Ans:- The money of 1894 was old-style bills, half again as big as the money we use nowadays and different-looking.

19. How does Charley prove that the third level is there OR How did Charley suspect that Sam has reached Galesburg OR What do you infer from Sam’s letter to Charley?

Ans:- Charley says that his psychiatrist friend Sam Weiner disappeared and must have reached Galesburg of 1894. Sam was a city boy who always liked the sound of that place and so he reached Galesburg. Charley found a first-day cover of Sam Weiner in his stamp collection that was mailed to his grandfather in Galesburg on June 18, 1894. Sam’s letter confirms the existence of the third level and has reached Galesburg to enjoy the peaceful world of the 1890’s.

20. What is a first-day cover?

Ans:- When a new stamp is issued, stamp collectors buy some stamps and use them to mail envelopes to themselves on the very first day of sale and the postmark proves the date. The envelope is called a first-day cover. It is never opened as the stamp collectors normally mail it to themselves.

21. What does Sam Weiner say about Galesburg OR what advice does Sam give Charley?

Ans:- Sam Weiner says that he has found the third level and invites Charley to look for it. He says that he has been there for two weeks and at Daly’s someone is playing a piano and singing ‘Seeing Nelly Home’ on the front porch and he has been invited for lemonade. He says that life is peaceful, free from all stress and burden in Galesburg and he wants Charley and Louisa to come over to Galesburg of 1894.

22. How did Charley find out that Sam has reached the third level?

Ans:- Charley went to the stamp and coin store and found out that Sam had bought eight hundred dollars’ worth of old-style currency to go to Galesburg of 1894.

23. Why did Sam go to Galesburg of 1894 OR Why did he exchange eight hundred dollars’ worth of old-style currency?

Ans:- Sam was a city boy who liked the sound of that place and he always wished to set up a nice little hay, feed and grain business in Galesburg of 1894. He being a psychiatrist was burdened by the tension and stress of modern life and always thought of escaping reality and live in the peaceful world of Galesburg.

24. What does the third level refer to? What is the significance of the third level? OR Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why?

Ans:- The third level is a medium of escape through which man yearns to be away from life’s harsh realities. Modern life is devoid of peace so a man in his quest to seek peace and happiness escapes to a place that’s best for him or her which will make him/her realise their dreams. Charley was unable to cope with his stressful life so his move to the third level was a medium of escape for him. He wanted to escape from the world’s insecurity, fear, worries and stress and so wanted an exit, a medium to escape into the world of dreams and fantasies.