The Third Level -Jack Finney

Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story "The Third Level"?
There is an obvious intersection of time and space in the story. The narrative moves freely
transcending barriers of time and space. Charley strays into 1894 at the third level and then
gets back to the 20th century. Sam transports himself to Galesburg, Illinois in 1894 and yet
communicates with Charley in the 20th century.

How did the psychiatrist explain Charley's flight to the non-existent third level?
The psychiatrist explained that Charley couldn't have reached the third level as it didn't exist.
He was of the view that because life in the modern time is ridden with fear, insecurity, war
and worry, Charley wanted to find an escape from reality. According to Sam, his
psychiatrist, the third level was a creation of his own imagination and was 'a waking- dream
wish fulfilment'.

‘Yes, I’ve taken the obvious step.’ Why does Charley term meeting the psychiatrist as
‘an obvious step’?
Charley talked about his visit to the third level of Grand Central Station. This was quite
alarming because the station had only two levels. Under the circumstances, it was clear that
he should seek an expert's opinion to rule out any psychiatric problem. Hence he terms his
visit to the psychiatrist as an obvious step.

Why did the psychiatrist's analysis make Louisa lose her temper and how did the
psychiatrist appease her?
Louisa and Charley were leading a happy married life. So, she couldn't tolerate the
psychiatrist's observation that Charley was an unhappy man. She took this as a personal
attack on her wifely care and love for her husband. However, her anger subsided when he
moved on to say that he was referring to modern man's unhappiness in general.

Stamp-collecting too was described as a medium of escape by the psychiatrist and

Charley's friend. Why did Charley's grandfather, who lived in the good old days, when
life was tension-free, pursue this hobby?
When Charley shared his experience on the third level with his friend and psychiatrist, he
called it a ‘waking dream wish fulfilment’ and considered Charley’s hobby of stamp
collection ‘a temporary refuge from reality’. However, Charley didn’t agree because the
stamp collection was passed on to him by his grandfather who lived a simple and peaceful
life in Galesburg in 1894, before the two world wars. So he didn't need to pursue philately as
a 'temporary refuge from reality'.

What was Charley's state of mind as he came back from the office? Why did he decide
to take the subway from the Grand Central Station?
Having worked late at the office one night, Charley wished to return to his wife, Louisa and
to the comfort of his home, as fast as possible. The bus would have taken longer to cover the
distance, so he decided to take the subway.

What makes Charley say that he keeps bumping into new doorways and stairs and
corridors?/ His visit to the third level was not an unusual experience for Charley. How?
He had strayed earlier too. Once he got into a tunnel about a mile long and came out in the
lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel. Another time he came up in an office building on Forty-Sixth
Street, three blocks away.
How did Charley reach the third level?
In his hurry to take a train back home, Charlie came to Grand Central Station and took two
flights of stairs to reach the second level from where his train was to leave. He got lost while
ducking into an arched doorway which led to the subway and he found himself into a tunnel.
The corridor he was in began angling left and slanting downward. He knew that it was wrong
yet he kept walking. The tunnel turned sharp left and took him to another flight of stairs at the
end of which he found himself on the third level of Grand Central Station.

What does the third level symbolize?

The Third Level symbolizes man's yearning to delve deeper into the world of imagination as
an escape from the world of harsh realities. It stands for Charley's quest for the peace and
tranquillity of a bygone era that was free from the modern day tensions and worries.

'Now I don't know why this should have happened to me.’ Out of so many people who
are stressed and seek refuge from reality, why does only Charley reach the third level?
The level of sensitivity and power of imagination vary from person to person. Charley is
caught in a web of monotony, dull routine and stressful life and finds it difficult to cope. So,
his rich imagination takes him to the non-existent world that is unconsciously sought by most
people in this tension ridden world, as a medium of refuge.

What does Charley compare Grand Central Station to? Why?

Charley compares Grand Central Station to a tree. Just like a tree grows putting forth new
leaves and branches and spreading its roots, Grand Central Station seemed to him to be
pushing out new tunnels, corridors and staircases.

‘But I never told my psychiatrist friend about that idea’. What did Charley not tell his
psychiatrist? Why?
Charley did not tell his psychiatrist friend about his notion that a long unknown tunnel ran
under the city and that Grand Central offers a way of escape through its tunnels. Charley did
not share this idea with the psychiatrist because he did not want him to think of him as crazy
and make fun of him as an escapist.

Give a description of the 'third level'.

The general layout of the third level was more or less similar to that of the second level. But
it had comparatively smaller rooms, fewer ticket windows and train gates. The information
booth in the centre was wooden and it bore an old look. One could spot a small Currier &
Ives locomotive with a funnel shaped stack on this level. The place had brass spittoons on the
floor and open-flame gaslights. Everyone in the station was dressed like 'eighteen-ninety-
something'.

What sort of dresses and appearances did Charley come across on the third level?
Charley came across men and women wearing 19th century dresses. Men sported fancy
moustaches, beards and sideburns. Tiny lapels, four button suits, derby hats and pocket gold
watches were in fashion. Women wore fancy cut sleeves and long skirts with high buttoned
shoes.

How did Charley confirm the date on the third level?

Charley was very surprised to see a strange looking platform, an out-dated locomotive and
people dressed in old fashioned clothes. He looked at the newspaper, ‘The World’ which
hadn’t been published for years. The lead story said something about President Cleveland
who belonged to the nineteenth century. The newspaper, he found, was dated 11th June, 1894.
Why did Charley run back from the third level?
Once Charley realised that he was in 1894, he remembered the peaceful life his grandfather
led around this time in Galesburg. He wished to buy two tickets to go to Galesburg with his
wife in that era. However, when he took out the modern currency at the ticket counter, the
clerk accused him of trying to cheat and threatened to hand him over to the police. Money in
1890’s was old style bills, half in size and different looking. Charley sensed trouble and ran
away, lest he be arrested and jailed.

“My three hundred dollars bought less than two hundred in old-style bills, but I didn’t
care.’’ Why didn’t Charley care?
Charley didn’t mind getting less than two hundred old-styled bills for three hundred dollars
because now he could buy tickets for Galesburg in 1894 where life was peaceful, away from
the tensions and worries of the modern time. Also, life was quite cheaper in 1894 Galesburg.

Why couldn’t Charley find the third level again?

Charley failed to locate the tunnel that transported him to the third level in spite of his best
efforts. A more logical explanation could be that the third level was actually never there, it
was just a figment of his imagination.

Why did Louisa stop Charley from looking for the third level?
Louisa was worried to see Charley’s obsession with finding the third level. She was also
alarmed when he exchanged dollars into old styled currency. Like the psychiatrist, Louisa
also believed that the third level was only a product of Charley’s imagination.

What is a first day cover?

The value of a newly issued stamp increases if it has the postmark of the date of issue on it.
Therefore the stamp collectors buy a new stamp on the first day of its release, paste it on a
self-addressed envelope and post. The envelope has a plain sheet of paper and is never
opened. Such an envelope is called a First Day Cover.

Why was Sam attracted to Galesburg?

Sam was a city boy and was fascinated by Charley’s description of Galesburg as a wonderful
town with big old frame houses, huge lawns and tall trees whose branches met overhead and
roof the streets. In 1894, the summer evenings were twice a long and people sat out in their
lawns, the men smoking cigars and talking quietly and the women waving palm- leaf fans,
with the fire flies all around, in a peaceful world, much before the two World Wars. He was
also troubled by the modern era tensions and stress and wished to escape to a peaceful world
of Galesburg in 1894 with easy going peaceful life.

How did Charley come to know that Sam had found the third level?
OR
Why did Charley and Louisa start looking for the third level together?
While going through his stamp collection, Charley found a first day cover that he hadn’t seen
before. It had his grandfather’s address in Galesburg. When Charley opened the envelope, he
found a letter from Sam addressed to him in which he wrote that he had reached Galesburg in
1894 and was enjoying simple and peaceful life, away from the stress of the modern times.
He invited Charley and Louisa there and urged them to keep looking for the third level.

Why couldn’t Sam go back to his old profession?

Life in Galesburg in 1894 was simple and peaceful away from any stress or worry; therefore
people did not need a psychiatrist. Thus Sam couldn’t go back to his old profession there,
instead he started a hay, feed and grain business that he really liked.
Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why?
War, worry, insecurity and fear keep on gnawing at the modern man's mind all the time. This
helplessness and frustration leaves man baffled and he is at a loss to learn a peaceful way of
facing life. It is then, that he looks for 'a temporary refuge from reality'. Pursuit of hobbies
like stamp-collecting diverted his attention temporarily and gives him some comfort.

The fast pace of life, overwork and subconscious apprehensions had made Charley uneasy
and restless. He yearned for peace, tranquillity and serenity. Like many others, he too turned
to philately but probably, the degree of relief that this hobby provided, was not sufficient to
calm him down emotionally.

Hence, the efforts of his subconscious mind for an escape from his harsh realities resulted in
his flight to the third level of Grand Central Station, which according to everyone else didn’t
exist. He wanted to reach Galesburg in 1894, much before the two World Wars, to a simple
peaceful life.

His psychiatrist friend, Sam Weiner, diagnosed Charley's claim to have visited the third level,
as 'a waking-dream wish fulfilment'. Hence, the third level was undoubtedly, a medium of
escape for Charley.

What do you infer from Sam's letter to Charley?

Sam's letter, dated 18th July, 1894 written from Galesburg, Illinois is a proof of his having
reached Galesburg through the third level. Sam had called Charley’s claim to have visited the
third level ‘a waking dream wish fulfilment’ and explained it as Charley’s medium of escape
from reality. But being equally insecure, in the heart of hearts, he had wished that the entire
episode was true. In fact, he too yearned for such an escape. Galesburg fascinated him and
gave him the taste of tension-free, peaceful and simple life where people loved music, dance
and socialising. Slowly he believed in the existence of the third level, searched for it and
eventually found it.

After reaching Galesburg in 1894, he wrote a letter to Charley through a First Day Cover and
urged Charley and Louisa to keep on looking for the third level.

The letter surprises the reader because it is found in a first-day cover addressed to Charley's
grandfather. He wonders how a letter that Sam had posted to Charley's grandfather in 1894
ended up in the stamp collection that Charley owned in the modern time. Thus, the letter
appears to be an interesting mix of the real and the imagination.

"The modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and stress." What are the
ways in which we attempt to overcome them?

Insecurity of war, worry, fear and stress rob man of his peace of mind. Thus our conscious
mind constantly forces out the invasion of tension and anxiety. Stripped of all thrill and
excitement, modern man rather than living life in the real sense of the world merely goes
through the process of existing. In order to get out of this, he turns to religion, world of
fiction, fantasy, hobbies, sports, music and creativity. These things divert man's attention
from harsh realities. Thus, man experiences some sort of a relief from his worries. The
tranquillity that he experiences for himself saves him from the psychiatric problems caused
by stress, strain and apprehension.
Charley is upset with the stress and tensions of his life and is looking for a medium of escape.
He feels that he keeps bumping into new doorways, corridors and stairs. His desire to escape
into a world of peace, he reaches the non-existent third level of Grand Central Station in
1894. He tries to buy tickets for Galesburg where his grandfather had lived a relaxed life
before the two World Wars.

He also finds a letter from Sam dated 18th July, 1894, in form of a First Day Cover with his
grandfather’s address among his stamp collection. This affirms his belief in the existence of
the third level that could transport him to a world with a stress-free life.

His psychiatrist friend, Sam Weiner, diagnosed Charley's claim to have visited the third level,
as 'a waking-dream wish fulfilment'. Even his hobby of collecting stamps seems to be a
medium of escape for Charley.

Bring out the contrast between the world the Charley lived in and the one that he
strayed into.
Charley lived in a world full of insecurity, fear, war and worry - a world where the fast pace
of life always left man running a race against time. As a result, he was always looking for a
medium of escape.

The world that he strayed into, on the other hand, lacked in sophistication of the modern
world but it was free from the complexities of life. Simplicity, tranquillity, peace and serenity
pervaded this world. People lived in big old frame houses with sprawling lawns. The streets
were lined on both sides with massive trees with their branches forming a canopy. People had
ample leisure time and liked to socialise with each other. There was no mad rush and the
world was not torn by the two World Wars. In fact, even the First World War was two
decades away. The two worlds of Charley thus, stood in complete contrast to each other.

What kind of a relationship did Charley and Louisa share?

Charley and Louisa make a loving couple. Immediately after office hours, Charley wishes to
rush back to his wife. He cannot think of travelling to Galesburg alone. HE tries to buy two
tickets - one for himself and the other for Louisa.

Louisa's love for Charley is reflected when she gets alarmed on learning about Charley's
curious experience. The psychiatrist's observation about Charley being unhappy infuriates her
as she thinks he is questioning her wifely love and care for her husband. Later on, when
Charley spends almost all his savings on buying the 19th century currency, she is not angry
but worried about his well-being. She tells Charley to stop looking for the third level. But the
day, they get a solid proof of the existence of the third level from Sam's letter; Louisa joins
Charley in looking for it. Thus, there is a perfect understanding between the two and they are
an ideal couple.

Did Sam really go the Galesburg or was it Charley's figment of imagination?

The third level at the Grand Central symbolises man's yearning to attain an ideal level of
existence which is free from worries, insecurities, tensions, a level which exudes calm peace,
tranquillity and serenity. Charley's imagination had given him a brief taste of this world. But
after getting a glimpse of it, Charley could never get back to this world in spite of his frantic
efforts. Still, the craving for such a utopia remained in him.

Sam's letter from Galesburg and his claim of having found the third level are also perhaps a
way of escape for Charley. He had become so obsessed with the purpose of attaining the old
world charm that his imagination became even more fertile. The story is science-fiction and
is open-ended to allow the reader to believe either what Charley thinks about Sam or what
Sam thinks about Charley's escapist attitude.