“The Third Level”, written by Jack Finney blends fiction with reality. It is also about a man‘s wish to escape from the harsh realities of present life. Charley, though he does not admit it, wants to go into the past as he is unhappy. He is unhappy with his wife. In fact, he is as unhappy as he finds the world in which he lives full of hurry, tension and war. His psychiatrist friend, Sam tells his stamp collecting also as an escape into the past.
There were only two levels at Grand Central Station. However, Charley found a third one, he believes he discovers a mysterious third level at the railway station that belongs to the 1890s. Many a times, he was lost there. He was always discovering new doorways, new corridors and new tunnels. He had begun to think that the Grand Central was always pushing out tunnels and new corridors like roots of a huge tree.
There he lost his way and found himself on the third level. This level was entirely different and old-fashioned. The locomotive, the brass spittoons and the naked gaslights belonged to the previous century. He desired to escape to Galesburg, the town of his dreams. However, he was nearly arrested. The money he gave to pay the fare was different from that in use those days. The booking clerk thought that he was cheating. Charley, thus, ran into the present. He never found the third level again. However, his psychiatrist friend, who did not believe that the third level existed, found it and escaped to Galesburg of 1894. The story shows how fear and pressure can make people imagine an escape into the past. It highlights the human desire to run away from reality and find comfort in a calmer world.
Intro of “The Third Level”
The Third Level Summary
Character Sketch of Charley
Charley is the central character of the story. Charley wants to go into the past as he is unhappy. He is a modern man who feels stressed and frightened by the pressures of contemporary life. In fact, he is as unhappy as he finds the world in which he lives full of hurry, tension and war. To escape this anxiety, he imagines or believes in the existence of a “third level” at the railway station, which represents his desire to move away from reality into a simpler and more peaceful past. He is sensitive, imaginative, and deeply affected by fear and insecurity.
Character Sketch of Louisa
Louisa is Charley’s wife. She is practical, calm, and realistic in nature. Unlike Charley, she does not believe in the existence of the third level. She represents rational thinking and stability. Louisa advises Charley to seek medical help, showing her concern and sensible approach to life.
Character Sketch of Sam Weiner
Sam Weiner is a psychiatrist and also Charley’s friend. He appears logical and scientific, initially explaining Charley’s experience as a waking dream caused by stress. However, the letter sent by Sam hints that even a highly rational mind can feel the desire to escape from reality. Sam thus represents the universal human urge to seek peace away from the pressures of modern life.
Important Points to Remember
“The Third Level”, written by Jack Finney blends fiction with reality.
It is also about a man‘s wish to escape from the harsh realities of present life.
Charley, though he does not admit it, wants to go into the past as he is unhappy.
However, Charley found a third one, he believes he discovers a mysterious third level at the railway station that belongs to the 1890s.
His psychiatrist friend, Sam tells his stamp collecting also as an escape into the past.
This level was entirely different and old-fashioned.
He desired to escape to Galesburg, the town of his dreams.
Sam Weiner is a psychiatrist and also Charley’s friend.
Louisa is Charley’s wife.
The story shows how fear and pressure can make people imagine an escape into the past.
