The Third Level

- A presentation by
Shahrukh Mehta (Vice-Principal)
VASISHTHA
GENESIS SCHOOL
At & Po. Baben, Opp. Avadh Life Style, Bardoli Dist : Surat 394601, Gujarat, INDIA
www.vasishthagenesisschool.ac.in | vgsbardoli@gmail.com | +91 91575 44555

- By Jack
Finney
About the Author
Walter Braden "Jack" Finney (born John Finney, October 2,
1911 – November 14, 1995) 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.
Finney's greatest success came with his science fiction novel Time
and Again (1970). It involves time travel to the past, a theme he
had experimented with previously in short stories.
In 1987, Finney was given the World Fantasy Award for Life
Achievement at the World Fantasy Convention, held in Nashville,
Tennessee.
The Third Level, Knox College's science fiction and fantasy
publication, is named for Finney's short story "The Third Level",
published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in
October 1952.
Introduction The story "The Third level", is based
on the idea of time travel and
escapism. Indeed it is a fine
amalgamation of fantasy and
reality. It takes is back in the past
time of 1894 which was more
peaceful, secure and serene because
the world in 1894 hadn't seen two of
the deadliest World Wars. The author
is able to bring out of common man's
craving for peace and security. Like
any common man, Charley, the
protagonist too wanted a transient
relief from the complexities of the
modern life. The Third Level is a
medium of escape for Charley. The
story further makes the reader
realize that in dwelling too long in our
fantasy world, we run the danger of
losing power grip on reality.
The Third Level at the Grand Central Station

In reality the Grand Central Station of New York has two levels.
Charley, a thirty one year's old dweller of the city, not only does
he believe in the existence of this hypothetical Third Level at
Grand Central Station but also claims to have been there, even
though presidents of major railroads in New York deny its
existence.
The Obvious Step
Charlie visited a psychiatrist friend, Sam to talk about his experience of the Third Level of Grand Central
Station. When Charley's wife Louisa and his friend Sam heard about the account, they were worried that
Charley was losing his grip on reality.
The psychiatrist did not believe it and called Charley's theory of finding third-level a "waking-dream wish
fulfilment" and rationalized Charley's psychology by saying that it was only a product of his imagination as
he was unhappy. On hearing this Charley's wife got infuriated. But Sam made her understand that in the
modern world, people had insecurities, trial and tribulations, fear and worries which they wished to escape.

Charley's all other friends concurred with the doctor when he

said that his hobby of stamp collection was also a temporary
refuge from harsh realities of the real world. They all found
the argument very logical.
Charley, however, was in total disagreement with what others
said. He defended himself from the allegation of escaping from
the real world stating that his grandfather pursued this hobby
yet he was a happy man. Even Roosevelt, the American
President who was also a stamp collector never ran away from
any reality.
How he reached the Third Level
Being late, Charley decided take a subway to Grand Central
Station because it was faster than bus.
So just like everyone else even he had gone down the steps of the
first level, where the trains were like those in the 20th century and
then further he walked down another flight the second level, where
the Suburban trains left from.
And after walking down to the second level, he found an arched
doorway heading for the Subway and got lost. This was not
unusual as he had lost his ways a couple of times earlier too while
taking the Subway. He narrated that once while walking into that
long tunnel he entered the lobby of the Roosevelt hotel and another
time he emerged at an office building. To Charley that fast
growing Grand Central Station with new corridors, doors and
staircases at times seemed to be a maze. He even compared them to
the tree's invisible root. But this time he took sharp left and went
down a short flight of stairs, something unique happened. He had
reached an unknown place that seemed distant in time. So to him
reaching the third level was just a coincidence.
Description of
the Third Level
Quite unexpectedly, Charley reached the Third Level
and found everything delved deep in the old style.
He saw that rooms on the Third Level were smaller
and had fewer ticket Windows.
He wondered at the old fashion train engines, men
with long moustaches, woman dressed in old French
style, a man pulling out his watch from Pocket, gas
lamps and brass spittoons. All this convinced him
that it was not the second level.
From a newspaper, The World, he learnt the time
was of 1894 as it bore the date June 11 1894 and
headline about President Cleveland. It confirmed
that he had travelled back in time.
Description of
the Third Level
He was greatly excited and amazed when you reached
1894 which was a peaceful time before the two world
wars. He had always wanted to travel to Galesburg
which is wife, Louisa. Seizing the opportunity, he
decided to escape from the rat race by buying two rail
tickets to travel his childhood town of Galesburg,
Illinois which is a wonderful, peaceful and serene town
with big old frame houses, huge lawns, and
tremendous tree's. The summer evenings were twice as
long and people had lots of leisure time to sit out in the
lawn.
However on seeing the current currency, the clerk at the
ticket counter suspected him for tendering fake
currency so threatened him for police and Charley ran
out of the third level out of fear of being caught and
soon found the way back to the present.
Charley's plan to travel to Galesburg not
realized...
The next day during lunch, he exchanged three hundred dollars for old style currency
amounting to some two hundred only.
The loss didn't bother him much as he believed that in Galesburg everything would be
cheaper and that he could manage even with a small amount.
He tried many times but unfortunately, he could never again find the mysterious arched
doorway leading to the third level of grand Central because the third level was his
imagination. His wife, worried about him, asked him not to seek the third level again. So he
gave up his finding and resumed his stamp collecting to pass his time.
Sam's disappearance and his letter
Charley came to know that his friend, Sam Weiner, was missing and no one knew about his whereabouts.
But much to their surprise, Louisa and Charley got proof of the existence of the third level when one night
while looking at the first-day covers of his grandfather, Charley found an unfamiliar stamp cover dated
back to 1894. It had been mailed to his grandfather at his home in Galesburg on July 18, 1894.
Charley on opening the envelope was surprised to discover a letter form Sam addressed to him. The letter
confirmed Charley's belief in the existence of the third level. With regard to Galesburg it stated that it was a
romantic, peaceful, hospitable and nice city. People enjoyed living with comfort and peace. Charley was
advised to keep on looking for the third level that was a worth seeing place. Sam was engaged in a nice little
hay, feed and grain business, something that he had always wished to do. (There was no need of a
psychiatrist that time as the people never suffered from any mental illness)
Sam was the one with whom Charley used to share his ideas about Galesburg.
Sam got very much influenced from Charley’s glowing description of Galesburg. This revealed the fact that
Sam too was devoid of peace and tranquility and needed solace.
He was smarter than Charley. From Charley's experience he had learned that one could never get back to
the third level once returned from there. Keeping this in mind Sam arranged to get the old currency from
the shop and went to the railway station, bought the tickets and reached the 1894 Galesburg.
Note - while Charley discovered the third level accidentally, for Sam it was planned.
The first day covers

Usually when a new stamp is

issued, stamp collectors buys that
stamp, paste it on an envelope
having blank letter in it. He mails
the letter to himself. The letter is
never opened because he knows
that he has himself just put a
blank paper in it. The envelope is
called a First-Day Cover.
Conclusion…
Roping his wife and his friend Sam into his world by
saying that he had been to the third level, Sam had
bought old currency, the letter from Sam in his First-
Day covers - are all Charley's figment of imagination. It
was a medium of escape. He could not face the challenges
of the modern world. As an escape or relief the mind tries
to heal the present chaos by transporting to that peaceful
past that hadn't seen the repercussions of war. Thus in
order to combat the stress of the modern life, we start
day dreaming and adopt an escapist theory like Charley.
The ending is ironical as it is Charley's friend Sam, the
psychiatrist who told Charley that the third level was a
waking dream wish-fulfillment, a figment of Charley's
mind and just a medium to escape the stark harsh
realities of modern life, has stepped back into the past
and is enjoying the best it has to offer. Sam's visiting
Galesburg confirms that majority of us are stressed out
today and are craving to enjoy a tension-free, peaceful
and happy life.
Theme

The story deals with the theme of escapism. The third level
signifies an escape from the atrocities of the modern world that
is full of insecurities, fear, war, worry, and hatred. One feels
caged by modern advancement leading people to look for ways
of an escape. The third level on the grand Central station was a
medium of escape for Charley. This story also deals with time
travel which is the concept of moving backward or forward to
different points in time with a desire to keep that time alive in
the complexities of the present.
Comprehension Check
1. Why is the clerk surprised when Charley starts
counting the money?
2. Why couldn't Sam go back to his old business?
3. Why was the narrator's wife Louisa worried?
4. What did the narrator say about escapism from the
real world?
5. What is the most revealing fact about Sam?
6. How did Charley make sure that he had actually
travelled in the past?
 THANK YOU
- A presentation by
Shahrukh Mehta (Vice-Principal)

VASISHTHA
GENESIS SCHOOL
At & Po. Baben, Opp. Avadh Life Style, Bardoli Dist : Surat 394601, Gujarat, INDIA
www.vasishthagenesisschool.ac.in | vgsbardoli@gmail.com | +91 91575 44555