Class XII English Vistas

Chapter 1. ‘The Third Level’ by Jack Finney

Born: 2nd October 1911

Died: 14th November 1995

About the Author

Walter Braden "Jack" Finney was an American author. His best-known
works are science fiction and thrillers, including ‘The Body Snatchers’ and
‘Time and Again’. The former was the basis for the 1956 film Invasion of the
Body Snatchers and its remakes.

Introduction
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.

Word Meanings
➢ Stack- a pile of objects, typically one that is neatly arranged
Timetables- a schedule showing the departure and arrival times of
trains, buses or aircraft
➢ Waking dream- an involuntary dream occurring while a person is
awake
➢ Wander- walk; roam

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 ➢ Refuge- the state of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger or
difficulty
➢ Suburban- residential
➢ Ducked- lower the head or body quickly
➢ Arched- curved
➢ Bumping- knock or run into something
➢ Spittoons- a metal or earthenware pot typically having a funnel-
shaped top, used for spitting into
➢ Vest- a garment worn on the upper part of the body
➢ Snapped- break suddenly and completely
➢ Locomotive- a powered railway vehicle used for pulling trains

Theme
The story, ‘The Third Level’ clearly explores the science fiction genre of
‘time travel’. Jack Finney, the recipient of the World Fantasy Award,
interweaves fantasy with reality in his projection of time travel. Charley, the
protagonist wishes to be transported to the third level, the world of
Galesburg, Illinois, 1894, which is supposed to be a much happier and
quieter place to be in.

Main Characters
1. Charley

Charley is a thirty-one-year-old man in a tan gabardine suit and a straw hat. One
night, on his way back from work, he decides to take the subway at the Grand
Central Station, which as everyone knows, has two levels. Preoccupied and in a
hurry, Charley discovers an unknown exit that takes him through a long corridor,
into the third level.

Here, there were fewer ticket windows, the man at the booth wore green eye-
shades, the lights were open-flame gas lights, and women wore old-fashioned,
fully covered dresses. The newspaper, ‘The World’, was dated June 11, 1894.
Charley knows that from there, the third level of the Grand Central, he could go
to anywhere in the United States, 1984. He decides to buy two tickets to
Galesburg, Illinois, for his wife Louisa and himself from the ticket window in the
third level.

Galesburg, with its big old houses, huge lawns and tremendous trees represents
an idyllic world to Charley, with the World War II still forty years into the future.
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However, the clerk at the window refuses the currency Charley offers. Charley
leaves, deciding to return the next day, after converting all his savings into old-
style currency. But Charley has never again found the third level.

When Charley tells his psychiatrist friend, Sam Weiner about this, Sam tells him
that it was “a waking dream wish fulfilment” as Charley was “unhappy” in the
modern world with its insecurities and fears, and just wanted to escape. Charley
never again found the corridor that led to the third level at the Grand Central.
Ironically, his friend Sam, the psychiatrist, disappeared, only to reach Galesburg,
Illinois, in 1894.

2. Sam

Sam Weiner is Charley’s friend, and psychiatrist, and the next most important
character in the story. He concludes that the third level is a figment of Charley’s
imagination, induced by the pressures of modern living.

When Charley fails to find the third level of the Grand Central Station, his wife
Louisa is worried for him and tells him to stop looking for it. But after sometime,
both start looking for it because they find proof that the third level exists.
Charley’s friend, Sam Weiner disappears. A first-day cover that Charley
discovers in his collection, is signed by Sam and is from Galesburg, Illinois, dated
July 18, 1894. Charley subsequently discovers that Sam had bought eight-
hundred dollars’ worth of old-style currency and moved to Galesburg, Illinois, in
1894. He had set up a hay, feed and grain business as he had always said that it is
what he really wished to do. Clearly, he could not go back to his old business—
psychiatry—in Galesburg, Illinois, in 1894.

3. Louisa

Charley’s wife Louisa was initially angry with Sam’s suggestion that Charley was
unhappy, ‘when Charley tells him about his sojourn to the third level of the Grand
Central Station in New York. Then Sam explains that it is not marital
unhappiness, but dissatisfaction and discontent with modern day living with its
insecurity, fear, war and worry. To escape from these pressures, Charley’s mind
had sought refuge in the idyllic world of the third level. Louisa’s conviction in
the existence of the third level is affirmed only when she sees the note sent by
Sam himself, from Galesburg, Illinois, dated July 18, 1894. Since then, Louisa
has been actively involved in looking for the third level, along with her husband,
Charley.

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Summary
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 deadly 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.

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‘The Third Level’ - Tit Bits

➢ Setting of the story: Grand Central Station in New York. Grand

Central Station officially opened on February 2, 1913. So it celebrated
its 100th birthday this 2013.
➢ In 1908, the excavation of Grand Central Station began in New York
City.
➢ This is a view of the balcony in Grand Central Station taken between
1913 and 1930. This is where the Apple Store is located today.
➢ This is a view of one of the many arched corridors in Grand Central
Station taken in 1912. The main character, Charley, walked down one
of these corridors on his way to the “third level”.

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➢ Another arched corridor. The man in the black clothes is wearing a
derby hat.
➢ In the background to the left, you see more corridors and arches. On
the right, you see the old ticket station. An interesting feature of this
picture is the ghostly feel of the people. It was taken in 1912.
➢ The picture was taken in 1919, and it is an outside view of the terminal
from Vanderbilt Avenue and 42nd Street. This is where Charley
entered the station in the story.
➢ The 20th Century Limited was an express passenger train that ran
between Grand Central Terminal and LaSalle Street Station in
Chicago. It was operated by the New York Central Railroad from 1902
until 1967.
➢ Metro North commuter arrive at New York’s Grand Central
Terminal on January 11, 1996.
➢ The clock above the Grand Central Terminal Information Booth still
ticks off the time 100 years after it was built. The world’s largest
terminal covers 49 acres with 33 miles of track. Over 700,000 people
pass through the terminal every day and it operates over 700 trains
per day.
➢ Members of the National Guard watch commuters as they walk
through the main concourse on January 25, 2013.
➢ The images on the ceiling of the main concourse depict the
constellations and are made of gold leaf.
➢ This photo shows construction of a new line that will open connecting
the Long Island Rail Road with a new concourse underneath Grand
Central Terminal.
➢ Vocabulary for “The Third Level” psychiatrist (noun) medical doctor
specializing in illnesses of the mind. People will visit a psychiatrist to
get help with their emotional problems.
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 ➢ Arched – (adjective) curved There are many arched doorways or
passages in the old churches of Europe.
➢ Spittoons (noun) jar like container into which people would spit. There
were spittoons in Grand Central but they do not exist today.
➢ Derby hat (noun) old fashioned hat used by men in the past. Derby
hats were considered very fashionable in the beginning of the 20th
century.
➢ Leg of mutton sleeves (noun) -sleeves that puff out toward the
shoulder. A leg of mutton sleeve needs a lot fabric to make.
➢ Currency (noun) – money. Today’s currency is different from what
was used in the past.
➢ Premium (noun) - an additional charge or cost. Some customers are
reluctant to pay a premium for organic fruit.
➢ Jack Finney in his older years.
➢ Famous books written by Jack Finney
➢ Galesburg, Illinois

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Questions to be done in Classwork Notebook

Q1. Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley?
Why?
Answer: Yes, I think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley.
Life in modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worries and stress. Man has
to confront them all the times. The harsh realities of life make living quite
unpleasant and even unbearable. So, he wants to escape into a wishful world.
Charley talks to his psychiatrist friend about the third level at the Grand Central
Station. His friend calls it “a walking-dream wish fulfilment”. Charley possesses

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an escapist tendency. Even his stamp collecting is a ‘temporary refuge from
reality’.
Q2. What do you infer from Sam’s letter to Charley?
Answer: The way Charley came across Sam’s letter was surrounded in mystery.
Among his oldest first-day covers, he found an envelope. The envelope
containing the letter bore the address of his grandfather. It was written on July
18, 1894. The postmark showed the Picture of President Garfield. Generally the
first day covers have blank papers in them, but this one contained a letter. The
letter was addressed to Charley. In the letter Sam had informed Charley that he
was living on the third level. He had also told Charley and his wife to keep
looking for the third level. Clearly, the letter was a product of Charley’s
imagination.
Q3. ‘The modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and stress.’
What are the ways in which we attempt to overcome them?
Answer: We can overcome the anxieties and insecurities bred by our inevitable
existence in the modern world by getting involved in some practical and
beneficial activities. Cultivating hobbies, spending time with family and friends,
going on trips and excursions, pursuing meditation and exercises help us live a
balanced and healthy life. Reading good books is equivalent to having good
friends with great insight. They not only enrich us with the vast store of
knowledge but also help us to learn from other’s experience and stay rooted to
some basic qualities of humanity. Joining hobby classes or gym, attending social
events like birthdays and weddings, going for outdoor games, interacting
meaningfully through social networking sites and writing diaries etc. can also
help us relieve our worries and stay focussed and disciplined in life. Simple
activities like listening to music, playing with pets, an occasional dinner out,
watching cinema or plays or going to places like parks etc. can go a long way in
helping us get rid of stress, boredom and insecurities.
Q4. Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story?
Answer: Yes, there are certain instances in the story that show an intersection of
time and space. Firstly, the first two levels of Grand Central Station were located
in the present time while the third level existed in the 1890s. Secondly, Charley
and his wife, Louisa, live in the present time yet he rushes to get old currency to
buy two tickets to go to the Galesburg of 1894. Further, the old architecture of
the platform at the third level is different from the modern platforms of the first
two levels. Besides, the archaic manner of dressing by the people, and the
newspaper, The World, dated June 11, 1984 also overlaps with Charley’s real

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time world and existence. Lastly, the letter that was mailed to Charley’s
grandfather on 18th July, 1894 highlights the intersection of time and space as
the sender (Charley’s friend Sam) and receiver (Charley himself) belong to the
present time.

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Questions to be done in Homework Notebook

Q1. What is a first-day cover?
Answer: When a new stamp is issued, stamp collectors buy some 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. They are never opened.
You just put a blank paper inside the envelope.
Q2. What role does the first-day cover play in the story?
Answer: One night, while fussing with his stamp collection, Charley comes
across a first-day cover that should not have been there. It had been mailed to his
grandfather at his home in Galesburg in July 18, 1894. However, instead of a
blank paper, it contained a letter for Charley from Sam. It urged him to come back
to the third level with Louisa, and keep looking for it till he found it.
Q3. How does Charley describe Galesburg, Illinois, 1894?
Answer: Charley describes it as a wonderful town with a leisurely way of life
with big old frame houses, huge lawns, tremendous trees and a peaceful and
tranquil world. During summer evenings, people sat in their lawns, with men
smoking cigars and women waving palm-leaf fans. The First World War was
twenty years away and the Second World War was forty years into the future.
Q4. What does the third level refer to?
Answer: The third level refers to the subway of the Grand Central Station that
takes passengers to Galesburg, Illinois. The third level on the station was a
medium of escape for Charley, the narrator wanted to escape from the harsh
realities of modern life. It provided him a base where he could interweave fantasy
and reality. His fantasy provides him comfort, peace and happiness amidst the
problems of modern world.

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Q5. Apparent illogicality sometimes turns out to be a futuristic projection?
Discuss.
Answer: It is true that apparent illogicality sometimes turns out to be a futuristic
projection. Before the Wright Brothers invented the first aero plane, nobody could
have dared to believe that man could fly. Before Alexander Graham Bell invented
the telephone, it would have been impossible to believe in long-distance talks
happening in the real-time interface. Moreover, there are examples of inventions,
like that of inventing a modern-day sewing machine with a needle that has hole
on its wrong end, which were conceived in dreams but now are part of our
everyday reality. All this emphasizes that fantasies of one point of time that seem
illogical may turn out to be revolutionary things that change the future of the
mankind. Similarly, it would not be farfetched to think about railway stations
fitted with time-machine devices that would make travel from one era to another
just a matter of time.

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Extra Questions for Reference Only

Question 1. Why did Charley meet a psychiatrist?

Answer: Charley met a psychiatrist, since he was in a dilemma. He felt sure that
he had been on the third level of the Grand Central Station, which everyone
knows has only two levels. Even the Presidents of the railroads would swear on
a stack of timetables that there were only two levels.

Question 2. What was the psychiatrist’s diagnosis?

Answer: The psychiatrist said that Charlie was unhappy. The modern world, full
of insecurity, fear, war and worry oppressed him, and he just wanted to escape.
Question 3. What proof did the psychiatrist provide?
Answer: Charley’s psychiatrist and his friends said that his stamp-collecting was
an indication of his desire to seek “a temporary refuge from reality”, as was his
collection of first-day covers.

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Question 4. What was the content of the note that Sam wrote to Charley?
Answer: Sam said that he had found the third level, that he had already been there
for two weeks, that life was peaceful, calm and tranquil. He urged Charley and
Louisa to go back to the third level and keep looking for it till they found it.

Question 5. How was Charley often lost on the Grand Central Station?
Answer: Charley had gone to the Grand Central Station hundreds of times.
However, at times, he was always lost in new doorways and corridors. Once, he
entered a tunnel and came out in the lobby of a hotel. Another time, he reached
in an office building.

Question 6. How did Charley compare the Grand Central to a huge tree? Why?
Answer: Charley always found new tunnels and staircase at the Grand Central.
He began to suspect that Grand Central was like a huge tree. It used to push out
new corridors and tunnels like the roots of a tree.
Question 7. Would Charley ever go back to the ticket-counter on the third level
to buy tickets to Galesburg for himself and his wife?
Answer: No, Charley would never go back to the ticket-counter on the third level
to buy tickets to Galesburg for himself and his wife because third level was his
imagination. It did not exist in reality. Although he tried but did not succeed as it
exists only in his imagination.
Question 8. What was Charley’s argument when the psychiatrist told him that the
stamp collection was a temporary refuge from reality?
Answer: Charley argued that his grandfather lived in nice and peaceful times, yet
he was the one who had started the stamp collection. He did not need any
“temporary refuge from reality”. He added that President Roosevelt collected
stamps too.
Question 9. 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?
Answer: Besides philately, there are numerous other ways to help keep the past
alive. Collecting historical artefacts, paintings and inscriptions in a museum,
collecting and reading books (including autobiographies, bio-sketches, letters and
diary entries) written in different eras, collecting and viewing documentaries and
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other videos are all a few ways of revisiting history. Besides, we can keep our
culture and traditions alive when we follow the rituals in ceremonies, treasure
memories in the form of videos, photographs and audio collections. Also,
reviving old monuments, buildings and other artefacts may prove a huge learning
opportunity to those visiting such places, and promote tourism at the same time.
The capacity to oscillate between the past, present and future is a great intellectual
gift. This human tendency enables him to plan for the future in the present by
reaping benefits from the past. Consider a very simple example of adopting a
study technique for board exams. Considering the past result (of class test or half
yearly exams) a student makes a strategy plan to address the weak areas more and
score better in the future. Thus, such a tendency helps in ensuring acceptance of
the impact of important decisions taken at any point of time and learning from
them.

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