Here is a summary of the chapter “The Third Level” and answers to the questions provided within the source:
Summary of “The Third Level”#
The story “The Third Level” by Jack Finney introduces Charley, the narrator, who firmly believes there is a third level at Grand Central Station, despite railroad presidents asserting there are only two. When he discusses this with his psychiatrist friend, the psychiatrist interprets it as a “waking-dream wish fulfillment”. This is attributed to Charley’s unhappiness and a desire to escape the modern world, which is described as being “full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and all the rest of it”. Even his hobby of stamp collecting is seen by his friends as a “temporary refuge from reality”. However, Charley argues that his grandfather, who started his collection, lived in a peaceful time and didn’t need such a refuge.
Charley recounts his experience: one summer night, working late, he decided to take the subway from Grand Central to get home faster. He found himself in an unfamiliar corridor that angled left and slanted downward. The corridor led him to the third level, which appeared distinctly old-fashioned: smaller rooms, fewer ticket windows and train gates, a wooden information booth, dim, flickering open-flame gaslights, and a man in the booth wearing a green eyeshade and long black sleeve protectors. To confirm the time period, he checked a newspaper, “The World,” which had been out of publication for years, and saw a lead story about President Cleveland, dated June 11, 1894.
He attempted to buy two tickets to Galesburg, Illinois, for himself and his wife, Louisa, for the year 1894. However, the clerk rejected his modern currency, stating it “ain’t money,” and threatened him. Charley quickly left. The next day, he withdrew nearly all his savings ($300) and bought old-style currency at a premium, though it yielded less than $200 in old bills. Despite his efforts, he was never able to find the corridor to the third level again, even after trying often.
Louisa was initially worried and discouraged his search, but their quest resumed when Charley’s psychiatrist friend, Sam Weiner, disappeared. Charley suspected Sam had gone to Galesburg, a place Charley often talked about and where he had gone to school. Their suspicion was confirmed when they found a first-day cover (a new stamp issue on its first day of sale, with the date and cancellation mark) with Sam’s address in Galesburg, Illinois, dated July 18, 1894. In his letter, Sam confirmed he found the third level and invited Charley and Louisa to join him, describing the peaceful atmosphere of 1894 Galesburg. It is revealed that Sam, who was Charley’s psychiatrist, had bought eight hundred dollars’ worth of old-style currency, intending to start a hay, feed, and grain business in 1894 Galesburg, leaving his old profession behind. This provided Charley and Louisa with “proof that the third level is still there,” and they are now both looking for it every weekend.
Answers to Questions:#
Have you ever had any curious experience which others find hard to believe? This is a “Before you read” prompt intended for the reader’s personal reflection and experience, not a question to be answered from the provided text. 💭🤔
What does the third level refer to? The third level refers to a secret, older, and seemingly anachronistic level of Grand Central Station that Charley, the narrator, claims to have found. It is a place that appears to exist in the year 1894, characterised by dim, flickering open-flame gaslights, older-style architecture (wooden information booth), fewer ticket windows and train gates, and people dressed in old fashions. His psychiatrist friend describes it as a “waking-dream wish fulfillment” and a symbol of his desire to escape the modern world’s insecurities. 🕰️🚂
Would Charley ever go back to the ticket-counter on the third level to buy tickets to Galesburg for himself and his wife? Yes, Charley would definitely go back to the ticket-counter on the third level to buy tickets to Galesburg for himself and his wife. The text explicitly states that he “tried often enough” to find the corridor again after his initial attempt. Furthermore, after receiving Sam’s letter from 1894 Galesburg, Charley and Louisa are “both looking, every weekend, because now we have proof that the third level is still there”. This clearly indicates his strong desire and continued effort to return. ✨🎫
Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why? Yes, the sources suggest that the third level was indeed a medium of escape for Charley. His psychiatrist friend explicitly stated it was a “waking-dream wish fulfillment” because Charley was unhappy and wanted to escape the modern world, which is “full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and all the rest of it”. His friends also agreed, claiming his stamp collecting was a “temporary refuge from reality”. Although Charley initially denied trying to escape, only wanting to get home to his wife, his subconscious desire for a simpler, more peaceful past, as symbolised by Galesburg in 1894, strongly supports this idea. The general feeling among people he knew was also a desire to escape. 🏃♂️🕊️
What do you infer from Sam’s letter to Charley? From Sam’s letter to Charley, we can infer several things:
- The Third Level is real (within the story’s context): Sam’s letter provides tangible “proof” that the third level is not just a hallucination or wish fulfillment for Charley, as Sam, a psychiatrist, has actually found it and is living in 1894. This shifts the narrative from Charley’s subjective experience to a shared, albeit extraordinary, reality within the story. 📜✅
- Sam also sought escape: Sam, Charley’s psychiatrist, “got to wishing that you were right. Then I got to believing you were right”. His act of buying old currency and moving to 1894 Galesburg to start a hay, feed, and grain business, abandoning his previous profession, indicates his own desire to escape the anxieties of the modern world, much like Charley. This suggests that the “waking-dream wish fulfillment” might be applicable to Sam too, or that the escape is a shared human desire. 👨⚕️➡️👨🌾
- Galesburg in 1894 is idyllic: Sam’s description of “someone is playing a piano, and they’re all out on the front porch singing ‘Seeing Nelly Home.’ And I’m invited over for lemonade” paints a picture of a peaceful, harmonious, and simple life, reinforcing the idea that it’s a desirable escape from modern stress. 🎶🏡
- An open invitation: Sam actively encourages Charley and Louisa to join him, urging them to “Keep looking till you find the third level! It’s worth it, believe me!”. This demonstrates his happiness and satisfaction with his new life in the past. 👋😊
‘The modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and stress.’ What are the ways in which we attempt to overcome them? The provided source, “levt101.pdf” (Excerpts from “The Third Level”), introduces this statement as a context for Charley’s desire to escape. However, it does not provide information on the various ways in which people generally attempt to overcome these feelings in the modern world. The text focuses on Charley’s specific method of “escape” to the third level and his hobby of stamp collecting as a “temporary refuge from reality”. 🤷♀️🌍
Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story? Yes, the story fundamentally revolves around an intersection of time and space. Charley’s experience on the “third level” of Grand Central Station involves physically entering a space that exists in a different time period – specifically, 1894. This means that the physical location (Grand Central Station) exists simultaneously in both the present (Charley’s time) and the past (1894), creating a literal intersection of time and space. The detail of Charley trying to buy tickets to travel to a different location (Galesburg, Illinois) in a different time (1894) further highlights this unique merging. Sam’s disappearance and subsequent letter from 1894 Galesburg solidify this concept, showing that individuals can physically move between these temporal and spatial dimensions. ⏳🌌
Apparent illogicality sometimes turns out to be a futuristic projection? Discuss. The provided source, “levt101.pdf” (Excerpts from “The Third Level”), poses this as a “Reading with Insight” question for discussion. While the story itself presents an apparent illogicality (a third level existing in a different time at Grand Central Station) that functions as an escape to the past, it does not contain any information or discussion about apparent illogicalities turning into futuristic projections. Therefore, the given sources do not provide a basis to answer this question. 🔮➡️❓
Philately helps keep the past alive. Discuss other ways in which this is done. What do you think of the human tendency to constantly move between the past, the present and the future? The provided source, “levt101.pdf” (Excerpts from “The Third Level”), mentions philately (stamp collecting) as a “temporary refuge from reality” and notes that Charley’s grandfather started his collection in a “nice and peaceful” past. The source poses the questions about other ways the past is kept alive and the human tendency to move between past, present, and future as “Reading with Insight” prompts for discussion. However, the text does not provide information or examples beyond philately itself to answer these questions. 📜↔️🕰️
You have read ‘Adventure’ by Jayant Narlikar in Hornbill Class XI. Compare the interweaving of fantasy and reality in the two stories. The provided source, “levt101.pdf” (Excerpts from “The Third Level”), asks for a comparison with ‘Adventure’ by Jayant Narlikar, a story mentioned as being in a different textbook (Hornbill Class XI). However, the content of ‘Adventure’ is not provided in the given sources. Therefore, I cannot draw on the sources to compare the interweaving of fantasy and reality in the two stories. 📚🔄👻