AIR FORCE SCHOOL BARRACKPORE
Class – XII
Third level
Summary
The Third Level by Jack Finney is about the harsh realities of war. War has irreversible
consequences thus leaving people in a state of insecurity. It is also about modern day
problems and how common man tends to escape reality by various means. In this story, a
man named Charley hallucinates and reaches the third level of the Grand Central Station
which only has two levels.
The story revolves around a 31 year old man named Charley, who experienced something
weird. One day after work coming from the Subway, he reached the third level of the Grand
Central station (which doesn’t actually exist). He reminisces the entire experience with
his psychiatrist friend Sam. Charley thought he experienced time travel and had reached
somewhere in the eighteen-nineties, a time before the world saw two of its most deadliest
wars. As soon as he realised what time he is in, he immediately decided to buy two tickets to
Galesburg, Illinois; one for himself and the other for his wife. Unfortunately, the currency
used in that century was different. Thus, the next day he withdrew all his savings and got
them converted even if it meant bearing losses. He went looking for the third level but failed
to find it. It worried his wife and the psychiatrist Sam who told him that he is hallucinating in
order to take refuge from reality and miseries of the modern world which is full of worry.
Charley thus resorts to his stamp collection in order to distract himself when suddenly one
day he finds a letter from his friend Sam who had gone missing recently. Sam wrote that he
always wanted to believe in the idea of third level and now that he is there himself, he
encourages Charley and Louisa to never stop looking for it.
Question Answers
1. What does the third level refer to?
A. Third level refers to an additional floor at the Grand Central Station which originally only
had two levels. Charley was hallucinating one night while going home when he reached the
third level.
2. Would Charley ever go back to the ticket-counter on the third level to buy tickets to
Galesburg for himself and his wife?
A. Charley went looking back for the third level that could take him and his wife to Galesburg
because he wanted to go back to his past. He wanted to go back to the world that has not
seen two of its deadliest wars that changed everything.
3. Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why?
A. The third level of the Grand Central Station was a medium of escape for Charley. Modern
world offers a lot of challenges and in order to take refuge from reality, one might resort to
day-dreaming or hallucination We all understand the miseries of the modern world which is
full of worry and pressure, thus, in order to take the burden away from his shoulders and
heap a sigh of relief, Charley resorted to escaping reality, although unintentionally.
4. What do you infer from Sam’s letter to Charley?
A. The way Charley discovered Sam’s letter was rather peculiar. It was one of those first-day
covers people used to mail to themselves back in time with a blank page inside. So to begin
with, the cover had a letter in it and not a blank page in it. Secondly, the letter dates back to
18 July, 1894 when Sam (the writer of the letter) didn’t exist because both Sam and Charley
exist in the present times. Thus, it is sound to conclude that it was just a product of Charley’s
imagination.
5. The modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and stress. What are the ways in
which we attempt to overcome them?
A. One cannot count on fingers the negative aspects the modern lifestyle has to offer. There
is stress, pressure, fear, insecurity and worry. In order to relieve yourself of all these
miseries, one can indulge in creative activities from time to time. Making time for yourself
and what you love without worrying about a productive outcome is a crucial thing many
people tend to ignore in the hustle and bustle of daily lives. Secondly, one can read a good
book or even meditate. Long walks in the lap of nature are not to be underestimated
because nature has its own healing power. Apart from these, a short weekend getaway,
movie night with friends or even alone at home can be done in order to dissociate oneself
from the routine.
6. Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story?
A. Yes, there are a lot of instances that tell us about the intersection of time and space in the
story. First intersection being the one between the first two levels of the Grand Central
Station and its third level which is based somewhere in the 1890s whereas the former exists
in the present times. Also when Charley went to buy tickets for Galesburg which existed in
1894 while he and his wife exists in the present times. Not to ignore the old fashioned
architecture of the third level in contradiction to the modern interiors of the first two levels.
Lastly, the letter dated 18th July, 1982 that Charley found also throws light upon the
intersection of time and space as both the sender (Sam) and the receiver (Charley) exist in
the present times.