The Third Level

The Third Level 

by 

Jack Finney

1. What does the third level refer to? What is the significance of the third level? (2001; 2004, Delhi)

Ans: The third level refers to a subway at the Grand Central Station of New York. It is a medium of escape for people from life’s harsh realities. The modem life is full of insecurity, fear, war and tension. So people want to live a life of peace and tranquility. So they escape to a place where they can realize their dreams and unfulfilled wishes of his subconscious mind.

2. Why does Charley say that the Grand Central Station is growing like a tree in the story “The Third Level"?

Or

What happens when Charley enters the Grand Central Station?

Ans. Whenever Charley enters the Grand Central Station, he finds new corridors, staircases and tunnels. He finds the station like a huge tree, which keeps on spreading its roots and branches all over. Once he entered a tunnel and instead of reaching the station, he reached the lobby of a hotel. Similarly, one day he reached an office building, which was three blocks away.

3. How did Charley often get lost at the Grand Central Station? (2010 Delhi)

Ans. 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 passages were 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.

4. How did Charley happen to reach the Third Level of Grand Central Station, New York?

Ans. One day Charley worked late in his office. He wanted to go to his wife Louisa. So he went to Grand Central to reach home early. There he entered in a tunnel that ended in a corridor. The corridor turned left and slanted -downward. Charley went on walking and reached a flight of stairs that took him to another level of the station. It was the Third Level and quite different from the other two levels.

5. What specific difference did Charley notice at the Third Level of Grand Central Station?

Or

What convinced Charley that he had reached the third level at Grand Central Station and not the second level? (2010 Delhi)

Or

How does Charley, the narrator describe the third level at Grand Central Station? (2013 Delhi)

Ans: The third level was different from that of the second level. At the Third Level, the rooms were smaller. There were fewer ticket windows. The trains had fewer gates. The wooden information booth in the centre was old looking. There were brass spittoons on the floor. Open flame gas lights were flickering. People were wearing old-styled dresses. None of these things could be found on the other two levels. So Charley was convinced it was not the second level.

6. What does Sam, a psychiatrist friend of Charley, opine about Charley and his visit to the Third Level?

Or

Do you think that the Third Level was a medium of escape for Charlie? Why?

Ans. Charley claimed that there were three levels at Grand Central Station but no one was ready to believe. When Charley told his friend Sam about the Third Level at Grand Central Station, he said that it was just a "waking dream-wish-fulfillment.” H also said that it was nothing but an attempt to escape from the harsh realities of modern life which is full of insecurity, war, fear, worry and tension.

7. How did Charley get lost when he was heading for the subway?

Ans. One day Charley went to the Grand Central from Vanderbilt Avenue. He went down the steps to the First Level. Then he walked down to the Second Level. It was the place to where the sub-urban trains left. Then he ducked into an arched door way heading for the subway. He was lost from this place.

8. What unusual scene did Charley notice at the Third Level?

Or

What information do we get about the people and appearances at the Third Level?

Ans. At the Third Level, the rooms were smaller. There were fewer ticket windows. The trains had fewer gates. The wooden information booth in the centre was old looking. There were brass spittoons on the floor. The open flame gas lights were flickering. People were wearing old styled dresses. People were dressed like 1890 or so. They had beards, side-burns and funny mustaches.

9. What made the ticket clerk think that Charley was trying to skin him ? Imp.)

Ans. Charley went to the ticket counter for two tickets to Galesburg. He paid the currency of the present world which was totally different from the 1890s world. When the clerk saw the big notes, he thought that Charley was trying to skin (cheat) him by giving him false bills. He threatened to get him arrested. Charley at once turned away and got out.

10. What is a "first-day cover" and what is specific about it?

Ans. When a new stamp is issued, the stamp collectors buy some of these and use them to mail envelops to themselves on the very first day of the sale. The postmark proves the date. This envelop is called the first-day cover. They are never open. Even a blank paper can be put in it.

11. What made Charley confirmed that he was standing in the year 1894?

Or

How did Charley make sure that he was not in the present time? (2002 Delhi)

Ans. When Charley reached the Third Level of the Grand Central Station, he found everything in old style. In order to confirm, he went to a newspaper seller. He glanced at the stack of the papers and saw a newspaper named "The World' of June 11, 1894. It carried the main story on President Cleveland. This made him confirmed that he was in the year 1894.

12. What information does the author give us about the carefree life of the people of Galesburg, Illinois of 1894? Why does Charley want to go there ? (Imp)

Or

How does Charley describe Galesburg as it used to be in 1894? (2013 Comptt. Outside Delhi)

Ans. Galesburg Illinois is a wonderful town with big old frame houses, huge lawns and tremendous trees. In 1894, it reflected a peaceful world of romance and, leisure. Summer evenings were twice as long. The people sat out on their lawns. The men smoked cigars and talked quickly. The women sat in leisure waving palm-leaf fans. Charley wanted to go back there to escape from insecurity, fear, war worry and tension of the modern world.

13. How was Charley able to collect the old-style currency? Why he could not buy two tickets even after getting money?

Ans. Charley was able to collect the old-style currency from a coin dealer’. There he exchanged his three hundred dollars with old-style currency. But when he went to buy the tickets for Galesburg, he could never find the corridor that led to the Third Level at Grand Central Station.

14. What surprising thing did Charley face while looking at the oldest "first day covers" one day?

Ans. One day Charley was looking at his oldest "first-day covers". There was an old envelope duly stamped. It was mailed to his grandfather at his house in Galesburg. It had been there since July 18, 1894. There was a post mark over the envelope with a picture of President Garfield. The stamp was a six-cent and dull brown. All this surprised Charley very much.

15. Who had sent that "first-day cover” and what was written on the paper in it?

Or

What was there in Sam's letter to Charley?

Ans. Charley's friend Sam, the psychiatrist had sent that "first-day cover" on July 1894. The letter was signed by Sam and it said that Charley was right about the Third Level. Sam claimed that he had found the Third Level. Regarding Galesburg, it stated that it was a nice and romantic city. People were enjoying piano and singing “Seeing Neely Home”. At the end of the letter, Charley was advised to keep on looking for the third level.

16. How did Sam reach Galesburg? What did he advise Charley to do? (2012 Outside Delhi)

Ans: Sam was fascinated by Charley’s description of Galesburg. He was also burdened by the tensions and stress of modem life. So he thought of escaping to the peaceful world of Galesburg. After reaching there he sent a letter to Charley in which he advised to Charley that, he (Charley) and his wife, Louisa should come over to Galesburg through the medium of the ‘third level’.

17. What is Sam's old business and why he can't go back to it? What type of business he has adopted?

Ans. Sam is a psychiatrist. But now he is in Galesburg which is a romantic and peaceful world. He is in the year of 1894 where people are free from all worries. There is no need of any psychiatrist there. So Sam can't go back to his old business. Now he has adopted the new business of feed and grain in Galesburg in the year 1894.

18. After finding the Third Level of the Grand Central Station, why did Charley go to his psychiatrist friend to consult about it?

Ans. Charley knew that there were only two levels at Grand Station. In his fantasy, he visited the Third Level as well. There he felt a range mystery of 1894. But his senses realized he was going wrong. So he took the step of consulting a psychiatrist.

19. Why did Charley suspect that Sam had gone to Galesburg? (2011 Outside Delhi)

Ans: One day Sam disappeared all of a sudden. 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.

20. Why do Charley and Sam both fancy about the Third Level and going to Galesburg in 1894?

Ans. Both Sam and Charley are the victims of whim that a Third Level exists because it gives them a way to run away from the troubles caused due to their burdened lives. The concept of a peaceful city of lawns and huge trees gives birth to a craving to be in this world. So they imagine themselves in Galesburg living with comfort and peace. They know in reality that nothing exists like the Third Level, but their longing for the mental peace compel them to believe it.

21. What did the psychiatrist friend tell Charley when he told him about the third level? (CBSE Comptt Delhi 2008)

Ans. Charley's psychiatrist friend said that it nothing but a waking dream wish fulfillment. He also explained the modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war and worry and Charley wanted to escape from it.

22. What did Charley learn about Sam from the stamp and coin store? (2012 Outside Delhi)

Ans: 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.

23. What do you infer from Sam's letter?