The Third Level - Question Answers
1. What does the third level refer to?
Answer
The third level refers to the subway of the Grand Central Station that takes
passengers to Galesburg, Illinois. The third level on the station was a medium of
escape for Charley, the narrator from the harsh realities of modern life. It provided
him a base where he could interweave fantasy and reality.
2. Would Charley ever go back to the ticket-counter on the third level to buy
tickets to Galesburg for himself and his wife?
Answer
No, Charley would never go back to the ticket-counter on the third level to buy
tickets to Galesburg for himself and his wife because third level was his
imagination.
3. Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why?
Answer
Yes, I think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley. Life in
modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worries and stress. Man has to
confront them all the times. The harsh realities of life make living quite unpleasant
and even unbearable. So he wants to escape into a wishful world. Charley talks to
his psychiatrist friend about the third level at the Grand Central Station. His friend
calls it “a waking-dream wish fulfillment”. Charley possesses an escapist tendency.
Even his stamp collecting is a ‘temporary refuge from reality’.
4. What do you infer from Sam’s letter to Charley?
Answer
The way Charley came across Sam’s letter was surrounded in mystery. Among his
oldest first-day covers, he found an envelope. The envelope containing the letter
bore the address of his grandfather. It was written on July 18, 1894. The postmark
showed the Picture of President Garfield. Generally the first day covers have blank
papers in them, but this one contained a letter. The letter was addressed to Charley.
In the letter Sam had informed Charley that he was living on the third level. He had
also told Charley and his wife to keep looking for the third level. This letter
puzzles the readers and raises several doubts and confusions but it is clearly felt
that one cannot travel back into the past and the letter was just a product of
Charley’s imagination.
5. . ‘The modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and stress.’ What are
the ways in which we attempt to overcome them?
Answer
Undoubtedly modern world is full of fear, worry and stress for all age groups. No one is spared
from this stress and develops an urge to escape from the harsh realities of this world by seeking
refuge in their self created fantasy worlds. Charley in the story, ‘The Third Level’ is a peculiar
example of the same who is so distressed by the unhealthy ways of the world around him that
unknowingly he tries to take refuge in the peaceful world of Galesburg, 1894. Charley’s unusual
behaviour is considered as “ waking dream wish fulfilment,” by his psychiatrist friend, Sam..
Although life in today’s world is not a bed of roses, every human being must learn how to
continue living peacefully and happily while facing the difficult situations and challenges coming
on our way. The world of technology is in fact, taking the human away from nature and simple
living therefore, making the lives more robotic and mechanical which in turn creates a world of
monotony and boredom. Being in this modern world, it is quite impossible to live an entirely
rustic life, but spending more time amidst nature, meditation and faith in God are few such things
that help everyone at any age to overcome problems associated with war, worry and stress
Reading, travelling places, watching sports, plantation etc can also be helpful in overcoming the
day to day fear and anxiety.
6. Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story?
Answer
Yes, there are certain instances in the story that show an intersection of time and
space. Firstly, the first two levels of Grand Central Station were located in the
present time while the third level existed in the 1890s. Secondly, Charley and his
wife, Louisa, live in the present time yet he rushes to get old currency to buy two
tickets to go to the Galesburg of 1894. Further, the old architecture of the platform
at the third level is different from the modern platforms of the first two levels.
Besides, the archaic manner of dressing by the people, and the newspaper, The
World, dated June 11, 1984 also overlaps with Charley’s real time world and
existence. Lastly, the letter that was mailed to Charley’s grandfather on 18th July,
1894 highlights the intersection of time and space as the sender (Charley’s friend
Sam) and receiver (Charley himself) belong to the present time.
