he Third Level 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.
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 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 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 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.
The Third Level Lesson and Explanation THE presidents of the New York Central and the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroads will swear on a stack of timetables that there are only two. But I say there are three, because I̢۪ve been on the third level of the Grand Central Station. Yes, I̢۪ve taken the obvious step: I talked to a psychiatrist friend of mine, among others. I told him about the third level at Grand Central Station, and he said it was a waking dream wish fulfillment. He said I was unhappy. That made my wife kind of mad, but he explained that he meant the modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and all the rest of it, and that I just want to escape. Well, who doesn̢۪t? Everybody I know wants to escape, but they don̢۪t wander down into any third level at Grand Central Station.
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 occuring while a person is awake Wander- walk; roam
The story begins with the mention of a third level at the Grand Central Station (which only has two levels in real). The protagonist himself is aware that even the Presidents of New York Central and the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroads would express great confidence in the existence of only two levels but he himself has been to the third level. Considering the entire scenario, Charley, the protagonist had a word with his psychiatrist friend. He explained that Charley was experiencing a ‘waking dream wish fulfillment’ or in other words, hallucination. According to the psychiatrist, Charley was unhappy (the fact her wife did not like). Upon explaining further, it became clear that it is the burden of all the modern problems that is pushing him to experience the apparent perception of something not present. He tends to escape the reality. Charley agreed with what his psychiatrist friend had to say but he still found it a bit odd to have been to the third level of the Grand Central Station.Â
But that’s the reason, he said, and my friends all agreed. Everything points to it, they claimed. My stamp collecting, for example; that’s a ‘temporary refuge from reality.’ Well, maybe, but my grandfather didn’t need any refuge from reality; things were pretty nice and peaceful in his day, from all I hear, and he started my collection. It’s a nice collection too, blocks of four of practically every U.S. issue, first-day covers, and so on. President Roosevelt collected stamps too, you know. Refuge- the state of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger or difficulty
Charley begins to believe in the possibility that he has been experiencing all this to escape the harsh realities of the modern world. His friends agreed to it as well. Even his stamp collecting is a sort of asylum he resorts to in order to feel protected. On the other hand, he starts thinking otherwise. His grandfather started his stamp collection but in those days, they had not seen the consequences of war and there was peace, harmony and security. His grandfather must have not been insecure. The collection, moreover was amazing, with blocks of four of practically every U. S. issue. Even President Roosevelt collected stamps.
Anyway, here̢۪s what happened at Grand Central. One night last summer I worked late at the office. I was in a hurry to get uptown to my apartment, so I decided to take the subway from Grand Central because it̢۪s faster than the bus.
He starts explaining what exactly happened and begins with how he chose to take the Subway to his apartment instead of the usual bus after a late night shift. He did this in order to save time. Now, I don̢۪t know why this should have happened to me. I̢۪m just an ordinary guy named Charley, thirty-one years old, and I was wearing a tan gabardine suit and a straw hat with a fancy band; I passed a dozen men who looked just like me. And I wasn̢۪t trying to escape from anything; I just wanted to get home to Louisa, my wife. Gabardine- a smooth, durable, twill-woven worsted or cotton cloth
He describes himself as an ordinary man of 31 dressed in a tan gabardine suit and a straw hat with a fancy band. It was so ordinary that he could see other similar men at the station. He explains how he was in his normal state of mind not wanting to escape from anywhere. All he wanted was to be with his wife Louisa at that hour. He still doesn̢۪t understand why this happened with him.
I turned into Grand Central from Vanderbilt Avenue, and went down the steps to the first level, where you take trains like the Twentieth Century. Then I walked down another flight to the second level, where the suburban trains leave from, ducked into an arched doorway heading for the subway — and got lost. That’s easy to do. I’ve been in and out of Grand Central hundreds of times, but I’m always bumping into new doorways and stairs and corridors. Once I got into a tunnel about a mile long and came out in the lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel. Another time I came up in an office building on Forty-sixth Street, three blocks away.
Suburban- residential Ducked- lower the head or body quickly Arched- curved Bumping- knock or run into something
Charley comes to the part of the incident where he entered the Grand Central from Vanderbilt Avenue and took the stairs to the first level where one boarded trains like the Twentieth Century. Then he went down another floor to reach the second level from where the suburban trains leave. From there he entered an arched doorway and got lost. It was nothing unusual for him because even if he had come to that station a thousand times, there were occasions he bumped into new corridors and doorways. Once he entered the wrong lobby and reached Roosevelt Hotel and another time in an office building which was three blocks away.
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