The Third Level Class 12th Main Point Character Summary Explanation MP Board Solution 

Author of “Third Level”

The author of  “Third Level” is an American author, Walter Braden “Jack” Finney. He was born on October 2, 1911, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. He is very famous for his works on science fiction and thriller stories, “The Body Snatchers” and “Time and Again” are some of his best works

Time Travel Based Movie 

• Action Replayy
• Love Story 2050
• Back to the Future
• The Adam Project
• Primer

Time travel is the hypothetical activity of traveling into the past or future.

Fact The Third Level

• "The Third Level" written by Jack Finney and first published in the October 7, 1950
• World War I or the First World War  1914 to 1918.
• World War II Second World War 1939 to 1945
• The Grand Central Depot was built in 1871, becoming Grand Central Station soon after. In 1913, 
• Over 750,000 people go through the terminal every single day.
• It’s the largest train station in the world
• Grand Central Terminal is spread over 49 acres, has 44 platforms and 67 tracks on two levels. It is the world’s largest train station by number of platforms and area occupied.
• The clocks are valuable with a big ‘V’
• Outside of the building, overlooking 42nd Street, is the world’s largest Tiffany glass clock, measuring 13 feet in diameter.

The Third Level Brief 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 Charley reaches the third level of the Grand Central Station which only has two levels.

The Third Level  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 actually didn’t exist). He reminisces the entire experience with his psychiatrist friend Sam. Charley had reached somewhere in the eighteen-nineties, a time before the world saw two of its 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 in the first day covers 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.

Description of the Third level

Small room, few ticket windows and train gates, wooden and old looking information booth.  

Men had beards, sideburns, fancy moustaches  

Women wore skirts, high buttoned shoes and leg of muttons sleeves. 

A man looking at a pocket watch  

Old style locomotive with the funnel-shaped stack  

Open gaslights being used  

Brass spittoons on the floor  

Wants to visit his home town, Galesburg  

Past is quiet and peaceful  

Tries to buy two tickets to Galesburg (one ticket for his Wife Louisa)  

Clerk grows suspicious as Charlie doesn’t have old-style currency.  

Back to the present-day world  

People’s reaction to Charlie’s experience  

Presidents of NY railroads swear on the existence of two levels.

 Psychiatrist friend Sam refuses to believe  

Interprets it as an escape from insecurity, fear, war and worry of the modern world.  

Louisa too disbelieves Charlie  

Charlie’s determination to find the Third Level  

Withdraws money buys old currency worth 300 dollars. 

 Fails to find the Third Level

 Louisa and Psychiatrist worried

 Unexpected Ending

 Sam disappears

 Charlie finds a first-day cover, never seen before

 Note from Sam dated 18th July 1894 from Galesburg

 Sam asks Charlie and Louisa to come to Galesburg and enjoy a quiet and peaceful life

 Charlie discovers Sam had bought old currency worth 800 dollars

 Enough to help him start hay and grain business in 1894 at Galesburg

First Day Cover

 Stamp collectors buy stamps on the day of release

 Mail the envelopes with blank paper in it with the postmark of the date to themselves

 Covers remain unopened

 Charley inherited stamp collection from his grandfather

The Third Level  Vocabulary

Suburban- residential

Ducked- lower the head or body quickly

Arched- curved

Bumping- knock or run into something

Snapped- break suddenly and completely

Locomotive- a powered railway vehicle used for pulling trains

The Third Level  Question & Answers

1. What does the third level refer to?

A. Third level refers to an additional level at the Grand Central Station which originally only had two levels. Charley one night while going home 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. Yes, 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 escape. 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 heave 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.

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 oneself of all these miseries, one can indulge in creative activities from time to time. Taking 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. The story offers escapism as a route to get away from the modern life.

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 exist 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 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 

7. 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?

A. Philately does indeed help in keeping the treasures of past alive. It gives one a chance to revisit and embrace the past of one’s existence. Some of the other ways in which it can be done is by keeping a record of all the letters, ancient manuscripts, things that are discontinued but were a significant part of the past, images, videos and written records of experiences. Human beings are a collection of all the experiences they have been through. Their tendency to connect with the past from time to time helps them stay connected to the roots while helping them to face the present and future challenges with more strength. Connecting with the future on the other hand, is just as important to know the outcome of one’s current actions and decisions. If one doesn’t seem satisfied with the realistic interpretation of future, it can certainly help in altering current actions to direct towards a better future.

 The Third Level Explanation in Details 

Jack Finney

Jack Finney (2 October 1911-16 November 1995) was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and given the name John Finney. His father died when he was three years old and he was renamed Walter Braden Finney in honour of his father. Yet the nickname Jack remained with him throughout his life. He attended Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. His bestknown works are science fiction and thrillers. Two of his novels, ‘The Body Snatchers’ and ‘Good Neighbor Sam’ became the basis of popular films Jack Finney first showed an interest in time travel in the short-story collection ‘The Third Level’. Finney’s greatest success came with his science fiction novel ‘Time and Again’. Finney died of pneumonia and emphysema at the age of 84, not long after finishing ‘From Time to Time’, the sequel to ‘Time and Again’.

The Third Level Theme 

‘The Third Level’ is a story that weaves together a psychological journey of the narrator into past, present and moves towards future. There is always a natural human tendency to constantly move between the past, the present and the future. Past, present and future are strategically and organically interconnected. Man is mortal and has many good and bad aspects of life like love, profit, loss, good, bad, etc. All these aspects tend to affect the human mind. Then existential worries act like a catalyst for making the human mind constantly move between the past, the present and the future. ‘The Third Level’ is a study of human mind caught in this cycle of time. When people in the present time want to escape the problems and stress of life, they feel that life, fifty or sixty years ago, was relaxed and they wanted to go back to that time for peace and happiness.

 

Third Level Summary: A Detailed Explanation

The summary of Third Level starts with the narrator himself talking about the third level at the Grand Central Station which has only two levels in real life, which the President of New York Central and the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroads would vouch for. The protagonist says he himself has been to the third level. Charlie, the protagonist and narrator, was reminiscing about the entire incident with his psychiatrist friend Sam, who said that he was trying to escape the burden of the present reality. 

Charlie said his stamp collection was proof that he needed refuge from reality. He adds on to say that his grandfather did not need any refuge from reality and that things were peaceful and simple during his times. He said that his grandfather also had started stamp collection but not out of insecurities. He added that even President Roosevelt collected stamps. 

One night, the previous summer he was returning from his work and was in a hurry, so he decided to take a subway from the Grand Central station instead of a bus. He says that he was dressed ordinarily. He says that the station has been growing like a plant and he has often bumped into new corridors and doors. Hence he thought that he was walking through a secret tunnel and reached the third level of the station. He said when he reached the level he saw every room was smaller, there was a lesser number of ticket windows, information booths, and train gates. They were all old looking and made of wood. The station was dim-lit. There was the usage of open-flame gaslights. 

People were dressed in old fashioned clothing and there were brass spittoons everywhere around. People had fancy beards and moustaches. His suspicion was validated by the date in the newspaper- June 11, 1894. Charlie after realising his time travel, wanted to go to Galesburg with his wife Louisa. While he went looking for tickets at the ticket counter he found that the currency in use was different from that of the old times. The following day he withdrew all his savings and got it converted to the old century currency. This distressed his wife. He does not find the third level at the station the next day. His wife was worried when she got to know about it. After a while, he distracted himself with stamps. Somehow, Sam, the psychiatrist disappeared out of the blue. 

This is the Third Level summary. Here the author indirectly describes the repercussions of war. shows the urge of people wanting to live in a peaceful environment without stress, fear, and anxiety. 

 

Main Character of Third Level” 

Charlie, Sam and Louisa.  

 

Charlie: 

Charlie is the protagonist of the story and also the narrator of the story. He is a thirty one-year-old man. He was not happy with his present life, and one night he had a weird incident when he experienced the third level of the Grand Central Station of New York, which supposedly has only two levels. He saw people with old fashioned dresses on this third level and he also found a newspaper saying the date June 11, 1894. Charlie started to believe in the existence of this third level, which was operated in the 1890s. When he told about this experience to his wife (Louisa), she started to worry about him and sent him to his psychiatrist friend, Sam. he told Charlie that because he was unhappy with his life, he experienced “a waking dream wish fulfilment”. 

Sam: 

Sam is the second most important character in the story. He is a psychiatrist and a friend of the protagonist, Charlie. When Charlie experiences the presence of the third level in the grand central station of New York, he visits Sam for consultation due to his wife. Sam said that Charlie is unhappy with his life due to which he got this experience and called Charley’s experience as “waking dream wish fulfilment” and declared it a mere “Temporary refuge” from the tensions of the real world. But after some time, he finds himself entangled in this imaginary world. Sam has to listen to the worries of many psychic patients daily, which affects Sam’s life badly. And to escape this stressful life, he got caught in the imaginary world. 

Louisa: 

Louisa Mebbin was the protagonist’s wife. She was a shrewd and cunning woman, who perfectly knew how to grab any opportunity that comes at her door. She was also called an opportunist in the story. She got worried when her husband told her about his experience of the third level of Grand Central Station of New York  

The Third Level Summary Part -02

The Third Level is a short story that shows us how trauma can manifest inside us and take a psychological toll. The main character Charley is a thirty-one-year-old man who earns his living by working at an office just like most other people. He is the narrator of the story and starts by telling us about the presence of a third level at the Grand Central Station in New York. But his psychiatrist judges it as waking-dream wish fulfilment. The psychiatrist stated this because the narrator was not happy with his life – he was trying to find refuge from his troubles by imagining the existence of a third level. 

One day, Charley was caught up with some work, and he had to stay late in the evening. He wanted to reach home as quickly as possible. Therefore, he decided to take the subway instead of the bus. He walked into a third level at the Grand Central Station – a station which is supposed to have only two levels. He found the third level weird as the infrastructure and people seemed to be from a different era. He finally found out from a newspaper that it was the year 1894. He remembered this era before the First and Second World wars. He went to the ticket counter to book two tickets to Galesburg, Illinois but the clerk at the ticket counter accused him of using fake money and threatened to turn him in to the police. The narrator ran away from the station the same way he came inside. 

The next day, Charley withdrew almost all his money – three hundred dollars and bought old-style currency worth the same. He wanted to return to 1894 in Galesburg and settle down with his wife Louisa, but he could never find the third level again. When his wife learned about all this, she got very worried and asked him not to look for the third level again. The narrator returned to his hobby of collecting stamps. At that time, he realised that the third level did exist. His friend Sam, whom he had always told stories about Galesburg during his childhood, had disappeared. The narrator assumed that Sam might have gone to Galesburg in 1894. 

One night as Charley was going through his stamps, he noticed a letter among one of his oldest first-day covers. It had the address of his grandfather in Galesburg, Illinois, and it was dated 18th July 1894. But he opened the envelope to find it was actually a letter to him from Sam telling him about how things were in 1894 and how he was enjoying those moments. Sam asked the narrator to keep searching for the third level because it was worth it. The narrator went to the stamp and coin store to find that Sam had bought eight hundred dollars worth of old-style currency. He figured that Sam might have settled down comfortably with this kind of money in 1894 with an investment in the food and grain business because he would not have been able to pursue his actual profession, which was that of a psychiatrist.

 

Conclusion of The Third Level

The Third Level is an interesting story that uses science fiction as a theme to talk about the kind of trauma people went through in post-war life.  The story’s narrator is unhappy with the present state of the world following the first two world wars. This unhappiness manifests as an inner trauma for which the narrator finds a coping mechanism. He develops a tendency to escape from the present by supplanting it with a nostalgia for a past that was peaceful and unaffected by wars. His imagination helps him find this escape by creating a third level at the Grand Central Station that takes him to a different time in 1894. 

The Third Level Class Question Answer Part 01

1. What does the third level refer to? 

Ans: The third level was the subway of the Grand Central Station, and it took passengers from Galesburg, Illinois. Metaphorically it refers to an escape medium that takes man away from the harsh realities of life. In the present world, people are lost in the rush to achieve more and are clouded by worries and anxieties. A man wishes to fulfill the wishes that are rooted in his subconscious mind. The third level provided space to fabricate fantasy and reality.

 

Question . Would Charley ever go back to the ticket counter on the third level to buy tickets to Galesburg for himself and his wife? 

Ans: No, Charley would never go back to the ticket- counter on the third level to buy tickets to Galesburg for himself and his wife. He withdrew three hundred dollars from the bank so that he could arrange some “old currency” since it belonged to a different time period. He could not find the third level since it was just a strand of his imagination to escape reality and has entered the world of romance and fantasy.

 

Questions . Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why? 

Ans: Yes, I think the third level was a medium of escape for Charley. His life was full of worries, stress, insecurity, and fear which caused him a lot of mental strain. The mental strain he had gone through was harsh and it made living for him unbearable and unpleasant. Since his reality was so unpleasant, he did various things that helped him escape reality. His stamp collecting was a ‘temporary refuge from reality. Later when he contacted his psychiatrist friend and told him about the third level incident, he termed it “a waking-dream wish fulfillment”.

 

Q. What do you infer from Sam’s letter to Charley? 

Ans: Sam’s letter was received from the third level- Galesburg, dated July 18, 1894. The envelope had the address of his grandfather and a picture of President Garfield as the postmark. In the letter, he stated that he had been there for two weeks now and it was a hospitable place. The letter appears to be an outcome of Charley’s imagination but it successfully brought out the difference between the present world, which was troublesome and filled with tension, and the pre World war era that was tranquil.

 

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

Ans: The modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry, and stress.’ Stress and worries are an inevitable part of daily and busy life especially in the hustle and bustle of the modern world. We are more involved in gaining more profit and collecting material wealth and losing connection with our inner desires. Doing things like meditation and yoga daily can help us get rid of the anxieties and fears that we have. Eating a healthy diet not only maintains your body health but also mental health too. Finding your hobbies and doing them on a regular basis helps us to distract our mind from the daily stress and concentrate on something productive that our heart loves. Going out with people you love, occasionally also refreshes your mind and helps you let go of all the worries in your head. For more busy days, listening to calming music or playing with your pet can make you feel instantly refreshed and in a good mood. These small activities won't seem very significant but will make you feel much better and happy.

 

4. Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story? 

Ans: Yes, the author has cleverly used elements of time and history to make the story more thrilling. The first instance of the same could be seen in the different levels that existed in the Grand Central Station. The first two levels were in the present while the third level belonged to the 1890s. He rushes to a bank to get an old currency denomination to pay for the train tickets for Galesburg. The architecture of the third level was old and unconventional. The people on the station dressed very typically like the people from the 1890s and held a newspaper, The World dated June 11, 1984. Finally, we see that the letter which was mailed to Charley’s grandfather on 18th, July 1894 intersected the time and space since the sender and receiver belonged to the present time.

 

5. Apparent illogicality sometimes turns out to be a futuristic projection? Discuss. 

Ans: Yes, I do believe that apparently, illogically sometimes I turn out to be a futuristic person. Anyone who does an invention is apparently a step towards the future and appears like a futuristic projection. Before Graham Bell’s invention of the telephone, it was a thing people could have only imagined seeing. Similar goes for Wright Brothers too who invented the first airplane. These things were impossible to believe during the period of time they were discovered but were apparently true. More modern-day machines like a sewing machine would have been something that the general masses could not have believed in. All these thoughts soon turn into reality and the things that seem illogical might actually be a step into our future.

 

6. 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? 

Ans: Philately helps keep the past alive. There are various other ways too that can help us keep the past alive. The collection of various paintings, inscriptions, artifacts, books, etc. helps to preserve what actually existed a while ago in the period of time. Keeping sketches, letters, and diary entries is another fun way of preserving the past with oneself. These not only help us to keep our history alive but also keeps our tradition and culture to survive and sustain for years. These things also provide us an opportunity to learn what history contained and unveil its secrets before us. Old buildings and artifacts are also a source of history for us. It's amazing that the human brain tends to move between present, past and future. But this capacity can be a great source of stress and depression. Thinking and worrying about what happened in the past and what will happen in the future always keeps us in a state of unrest. We should learn to accept what the present has for us and try to live it to the fullest. The present provides us opportunities to learn which our past holds memories for us to cherish later.

 

7. You have read ‘Adventure’ by Jayant Narlikar in Hornbill Class XI. Compare the interweaving of fantasy and reality in the two stories. 

Ans: The stories hold various supernatural and mystical elements within them. The stories help us drift away from practical reality and help us explore the world that our brain can create. In ‘Adventure’ Jayant Narlikar brought forth his view that various worlds could exist simultaneously. The worlds that exist can be separated by time. In ‘The Third Level,’ Charley encounters a new world from the past on the third floor of the Grand Central Station. He finds a gateway that leads to the past of 1894. He even didn't have any currency of that period for which he had to rush to the bank. Both these stories had elements of time travel.

The Third Level Short Question Answer 

Question 1.

What does the third level refer to? What is the significance of the third level? 

Answer:

The third level is a medium of escape through which man yearns to be away from life’s harsh realities. Modem life is devoid of peace and tranquility so man in his quest to seek solace escapes to a place where his aim is to seek the realization of his dreams and unfulfilled wishes of his subconscious mind.

 

Question 2.

What convinced Charley that he had reached the third level at Grand Central Station and not the second level?

Answer:

The general layout of the third level was different from that of the second level. It had comparatively smaller rooms, fewer ticket windows and lesser train gates. The infor¬mation booth in the centre was made of wood and looked old. The place with its brass spittoons did not look very bright. So Charley was convinced it was not the second level.

 

Question 3.

How does Charley, the narrator describe the third level at Grand Central Station? 

Answer:

Charley says that the rooms on the third level were smaller than that of the second level. There were fewer ticket windows and train gates and the information booth in the centre was wood and old looking. There were open- flame gaslights and brass spittoons on the floor. Everyone at the station was dressed in nineteenth century dresses. 

Question 4.

How did Charley make sure that he was not in the present time? 

Answer:

To make sure that he was not in the present time, Charley did a reality check. He looked at the newspapers which were on sale at a kiosk and found a copy of the newspaper ‘The World’, which carried the main story on President Cleveland. Then he confirmed from the Public Library files that the newspaper he had seen was dated 11th June, 1894.

 

Question 5.

How did Charley often get lost on the Grand Central Station? 

Answer:

The Grand Central Station was growing like a tree pushing out endless corridors, doorways and stairs like roots. It had intricate and tangled pathways. The network of passages was so complicated that instead of reaching his destination, one did tend to move up and down to look for entries and exits. So, Charley often got lost on this station. 

 

Question 6.

Why did Charley suspect that Sam had gone to Galesburg? 

Answer:

When Sam disappeared all of a sudden and no one knew about his whereabouts, Charley suspected he had gone to Galesburg as Sam was a city boy and liked Galesburg very much. Then Charley found an envelope mailed to Sam by his grandfather from his home in Galesburg and so it confirmed that Sam was indeed in Galesburg.

 

Question 7.

How does Charley describe Galesburg as it used to be in 1894? 

Answer:

Charley describes Galesburg as a quiet, simple and peaceful place with big old frame houses, huge lawns and tremendous trees. The summer evenings were rather long and people sat out on their lawns in a peaceful world, men smoking cigars and women waving palm-leaf fans. 

 

Question 8.

What did Charley learn about Sam from the stamp and coin store? 

Answer:

From the stamp and coin store Charley gets to know that Sam had bought old style currency worth eight hundred dollars. This money was sufficient to set him up in a little hay, feed and grain business in Galesburg.

 

Question 9.

How did Sam reach Galesburg? What did he advise Charley to do? 

Answer:

Sam was fascinated by Charley’s description of Galesburg. He was so burdened by the tensions and stress of modem life that he thought of escaping to the peaceful world of Galesburg. His advice to Charley is that, he (Charley) and his wife, Louisa should come over to Galesburg through the medium of the ‘third level’.

 

Question 10.

Why did the booking clerk refuse to accept the money?

Answer:

The booking clerk refuses to accept the money because the notes Charley had given him were of old style. He did not pay in the currency notes that were in circulation in 1894. So the clerk stared at him and told him, “That ain’t money, Mister”. He thought Charley was trying to cheat him and even threatened to get him arrested.

 

Question 11.

Why did Charley rush back from the third level? 

Answer:

When Charley took out the modem currency to pay for the two tickets to Galesburg, the ticket clerk accused him of trying to cheat him. He threatened to hand Charley over to the police. Charley was frightened and he decided to rush back from the third level, lest he was arrested and put into prison.

 

Question 12.

How did Charley reach the third level of Grand Central? How was it different from the other levels? 

Answer:

One night Charley worked till late at the office. Then he was in a hurry to get back to his apartment. So he decided to take the subway from Grand Central. He went down the steps and came to the first level. Then he walked down to the second level from where the suburban trains left. He ducked into an arched doorway that headed to the subway. Then he got lost. Knowing that he was going wrong he continued to walk downward. The tunnel turned a sharp left and then taking a short flight of stairs he came out on the third level at the Grand Central Station. Here he saw many unusual things. There were very few ticket windows and train gates that were old-looking and made of wood. Dim gaslights flickered and men wore derby hats and four-button suits. It was a rather strange world of sideburns, beards and fancy moustaches.

 

 

Question 13.

Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why? 

Answer:

The fears, anxieties and insecurities of the modem world are taking a toll on man’s mind. He feels helpless and frustrated and seeks temporary respite from life’s harsh realities. Charley too was unable to cope up with his fastpaced and stressful life so his flight to the third level was undoubtedly a medium of escape for him. It is nothing but a creation of Charley’s own mind. He wants to escape from the modern world’s insecurity, fear, worries and stress and so seeks an exit, a medium to get away into the world of dreams and fancies.

 

Question 14.

What made Charley believe that the was actually standing at the third level? (

Answer:

One night Charley worked late at the office. He was in a hurry to get to his apartment. So he decided to take the subway from Grand Central. He ducked into an arched doorway and then he got lost. He walked down the steps to the second level, turned left and kept on walking. He came out on the third level at the Grand Central Station. This was a different, old and romantic world. So he was convinced that he was actually standing at the third level. There were fewer ticket windows there which were made of wood and were old-looking. There were open flame gaslights. He saw people with beards, sideburns and fancy moustaches. Then he caught a glimpse of an old locomotive and also saw an 1894 issue of ‘The World’ newspaper. Perhaps Charley is under pressure to escape from the harsh world of realities. He would like to escape to the peaceful world of 1894.

 

Question 15.

What kind of people did Charley ‘See’ at the third level? 

Answer:

Having worked late at the office Charley decided to take a train back home. So he came to Grand Central Station and from the second level he got lost while ducking into an arched doorway and found himself inside a tunnel. This tunnel took him to another light of stairs and he found himself on the third level of the station. As compared to the second level, the third level had smaller rooms, fewer ticket windows and train gates. Everyone there was dressed in ‘eighteen-ninety-something’. 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 seemed to be in vogue. Women were wearing fancy cut sleeves, long skirts and high-buttoned shoes. Charley was confused to see people sporting old-fashioned clothes and hair styles at the third level. 

 

Question 16.

How does Charley make his description of the third level very realistic?

Answer:

To make his description of the third level very realistic, Charley describes its minute details, vividly comparing it to the second level of the Grand Central station. He says the rooms here were smaller. There were fewer ticket windows and train gates, and the information booth was wooden and old-looking. He also gives a detailed description about the people he saw at the third level and their dresses. He says the people wore nineteenth century dresses; many men had beards, sideburns and fancy moustaches. He also buys tickets to Galesburg, Illinois thus making the reader believe that he was actually at the third level.

 

Question 17.

What is being inferred from Sam’s letter to Charley? 

Answer:

Sam’s letter to Charley is dated 18th July, 1894. It is written from Galesburg, Illinois. In response to Charley’s claim of having visited the third level, Sam who is equally insecure wishes the entire episode is true, as he too believes in the existence of the third level. There are some inferences made by the letter. The introductory part of the letter confirms Charley’s belief in the existence of the third level. It also suggests that those who find the third level can travel across to Galesburg and enjoy the festivities, songs, music and peaceful world of the 1890s. So the author uses Sam’s letter as a unique combination of the real and fantasy world. 

 

What does the third level refer to?

The third level refers to the subway of the Grand Central Station that takes passengers to Gales burg, Illinois. This third level on the station was a medium of escape for Charley who was fed up of harsh realities of modern world. This was the world he used to dream of with open eyes.

Would Charley ever go back to the ticket-counter on the third level to buy tickets to Galesburg for himself and his wife?

It did not happen. This is because this third level at station was only his imagination and in reality it didn’t exist.

Do you think the third level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why?

Certainly the third level was a medium of escape for Charley. He was fed up with sufferings of life. As today’s life is full of tensions and he wanted to run away from all those problems. Like any other human being he was fed up of concrete jungle and wanted himself in a place which is less crowded and very peaceful. The fast life made him uneasy and restless. He started thinking about past that his forefathers have lived and he fell into those dreams. He used to think about living such life and wanted to live a one like that. Not for few days, he wanted to move to a place called Galesburg permanently with his wife Louisa because Galesburg was his dream city.

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

Sam’s letter to Charley is dated 18th July, 1894. He wrote from Galesburg. After buying old currency Sam departed for Galesburg as he too like Charley wanted to escape the fast life of city and wanted to settle in imagining world. Letter also suggests that those who can find the third level can enjoy songs, music and peaceful life. As a reader it feels as if Galesburg is a non urban city which has lot of greenery and less commercial activities and people tend to spend more time with each other in most of the times of day. Sam was happy after finding the third level and invited Charley and his wife to keep searching for third level.

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

Undoubtedly modern world is full of fear, worry and stress for all age groups. No one is spared from this stress but every human being according to their preferences and interests can beat this fear or stress. Reading, travelling places, watching sports, plantation etc can be one of such attempts to overcome fear and anxiety. But exercise, meditation and worshipping God are few such things that help everyone at any age to overcome problems associated with war, worry and stress.

Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story?

Yes, there are many instances where we see an intersection of time and space. Firstly, the first two levels of grand central station were located in present time while third level was in late 1890’s. Secondly, the architecture of the platform at third level was extremely old and was different from first two levels of modern times. The way people were dressed up was also unique to Charley as it was extremely old. Lastly, the letter was mailed to Charley’s grandfather on 18th July, 1894 represents the intersection of time and space as Sam & Charley belongs to present time.

Apparent illogicality sometimes turns out to be a futuristic projection? Discuss.

It is absolutely correct that apparent illogicality sometimes turns out to be a futuristic projection. There are many things that happened in the past that changed our lives forever. If the bulb had not been invented, today the world would be in darkness. No one even thought that a machine (Computer) would do mathematical calculations worth crores in a fraction of a second. And this machine will help us the way we work in hospitals, offices, railways, airports etc. Without their respective invention our life would have been different. No one could have ever imagined that we would be able to talk to a person sitting thousands of miles away in a second through a video call but today its possible.

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?

Besides philately, there are infinite things through which we can keep our past alive. Collection of old coins can be one of them. Keeping the belongings of your ancestors can also be one of them.

Moreover, we can keep our culture and traditions alive when we follow rituals as advised by our elders. This can be done on festivals and niceties etc. We, human beings can prepare our future course of action on the basis of past experience and it can help us to achieve desired goals. So in case of any failure in past, we can set new strategies for ourselves and can correct our present and future. So any such habits can make us good person and keep us in discipline.

You have read ‘Adventure’ by Jayant Narlikar in Hornbill Class XI. Compare the interweaving of fantasy and reality in the two stories.

In “Adventure” Jayant Narlikar expressed that many worlds exist at the same time but they appeared to be separated by time. He expressed that the other world also existed and flourish with the world we are aware of. Whereas, in the third level, narrator gets lost in the world of dreams because he wants peace of mind and for this he dreams of going to a quiet and greener place named Galesburg, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Give a brief description of the third level?

The rooms on the third level were smaller. There were fewer ticket windows and train gates. The information booth in the centre was wood made and very old-looking. The lights were dim and blinking because these were open flame gas lights. There were brass spittoons on the floor. The man sitting in the room at third level wore a green eye shade and long black sleeve protectors.

How does Charley describe the first two levels of Grand Central station?

According to Charley, first two levels of grand central station were like any other central station and nothing was abnormal. The first level was for trains for most part of the cities of twentieth century and second level was the place from where trains to suburban places leave.

What does narrator thinks of Grand central?

The narrator thinks that grand central station was growing like a tree. Just like branches of an old tree spread far in the ground, same way this central station was also spreading like it. He says he often went there andhe once got into a tunnel and he walked a mile and came out in the lobby of Roosevelt hotel. In another incident he came out in an office building on Forty Sixth Street, which was three blocks away. So this central station was constructed endless as per him.

 

1.        What was the reaction of the clerk at the ticket counter to Charley? Why?

After Charley decided to go to Galesburg, he counted out the money that was needed and gave it to the clerk. The clerk looked at the money and he refused to recognize that currency. He felt that Charley was trying to trick him. He told Charley that if he were trying to trick him, he wouldn’t succeed. He glanced at the cash drawer beside him that had old-style money. Charley understood that if he did not leave, he would be handed over to the police and even in 1894there was nothing nice about jail.

2.        What was Charley’s reaction after coming back from the third level?

Charley came out from the third level the same way he had entered. The next day he drew 300 dollar out of the bank and bought old-style currency. Although his 300 dollar bought less than 200 in old-style bills, he didn’t care as he was going into an era that was much cheaper than the present times and he was excited to go there. Unfortunately, he never again found the corridor that led to the third level at Grand Central Station, despite his frequent attempts.

What convinced Louisa and Charley about the existence of the third level?

Initially, Louisa was very concerned when Charley told her about the third level. She didn’t want Charley to look for the third level anymore. So he stopped looking for third level after some time. But one day, his friend Sam Weiner disappeared. Nobody knew of his whereabouts till one day Charley found an envelope in his collection with an unfamiliar first-day cover. It had been mailed to his grandfather at his home in Galesburg and had been there since 18th July, 1894, according to the postmark. The stamp was a six-cent, dull brown one, with a picture of President Garfield. But when he took it out and opened it, he found Sam’s letter addressed to him from Galesburg dated 18th July, 1894.