The Third Level

Q. 1. What does The Third Level' refer to?

Ans 'The Third Level' symbolizes man's innermost and deepest desire
to escape from the world full of tensions, war, insecurity and fear. It
stands for man's pursuit for a life full of peace and
tranquility in contrast to the materialistic and self centred world of
today.

Q. 2. Would Charley ever go back to the ticket-counter on the third

level to buy tickets to Galesburg for himself and his wife?
Ans No, Charley couldn't buy two tickets from the ticket-counter on the
third level for his wife and himself. When the clerk is surprised to see
different kinds of notes in Charley's hand, he turns away and goes out
fast to buy old
currency notes, but he never finds the corridor that leads to the third
level at the Grand Central.

Q. 3. Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for
Charley? Why?
Ans The modern world is full of fear, insecurity, war, worry and stress.
Man feels bogged down and helpless. He does not understand what
to do and how to come out of adverse circumstances.So, he looks for
a 'temporary refuge from reality'.
Charley, belonging to the twentieth century faced the same dilemma of
a modern man. Busy in the rut of life, he indulged in his hobby of
stamp collection for some mental peace and tranquility. Undoubtedly,
it was always in his subconscious mind to find a means of escape
from the ironies and materialistic bent of the world. Moreover, he had
an earnest desire for things 'pretty, nice and peaceful', as they were
in his grandfather's time. Then when he meets his psychiatrist he
admits that 'everybody I know wants to escape'.
All these things combined together resulted in his flight of fancy to the
third level. Sam, the psychiatrist also told him that his claim was "a
waking dream wish fulfilment'. Hence we can say, that the third level
was a medium of escape.
Q. 4. What do you infer from Sam's letter to Charley?
Ans Sam's letter was found in the oldest first day covers of Charley's
grandfather. It was dated July 18, 1894 and was written from
Galesburg. Illinois. This means that Sam had found the third level and
escaped.
Although he diagonsed Charley's problem as an escape from life, he
himself had been bothered by the humdrum of modern existence and
frustrations. In the letter, he asks Charley and Louisa to keep looking
for the third level as 'It's worth it'. Sam always wanted a tranquil, easy
going, pleasurable life in the countryside and wished to set up a hay
and grain business. The reader is not surprised by Sam's letter to
Charley but instinctively questions how a letter was found in an old
first-day cover in grandfather's collection. He feels puzzled when he
realises that the letter was addressed to Charley and not to his
grandfather although the address on the envelope was of the
grandfather.
Moreover, like the third level, it is possible that the letter could be a
figment of Charley's imagination. Thus, the letter gives an interesting
angle to the story and makes the reader curious.

Q. 5. "The modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and

stress." What are the ways in which we attempt to overcome them?
Ans The modern world, undoubtedly makes us frustrated, helpless
and overworked. Our subconscious mind thus, finds ways and means
to escape tensions.
Depending on our upbringing, mindset and interests, people find novel
ways to overcome such a sorry state of affairs. Most people find
refuge in hobbies. The narrator, Charley, indulges in stamp collection
to break the monotony of his life and use time productively. Many turn
to yoga, religion, spirituality, exercise, books, music and creative fields
like painting and writing to overcome stress and find time for
themselves.
These interests help reduce stress, anxiety and hopelessness
associated with life. A positive energy exudes from the body making
one calm, relieved and tranquil. Many health problems can be cured if
we indulge in pleasurable activities.
Q. 6. Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story "The
Third Level"?
Ans Yes, there is an intersection of time and space in the story. Time
and space have been reduced to nothingness as all barriers related to
them are broken. Charley bumps into the third level of 1894 and
returns to the Twentieth century. Similarly, Sam reaches Galesburg in
1894 and still can contact Charley in the Twentieth century, which
convincingly brings about an intersection.

Q. 7. Apparent illogicality sometimes turns out to be a futuristic

projection. Discuss.
Ans Some things in life do not have a valid explanation or scientific
reason. The sudden discovery of the third level by the narrator and his
earnest desire to live a peaceful and contented life at Galesburg is not
open to justification. The disappearance of his psychiatrist friend Sam
is equally perplexing. Both these individual wishes to escape from the
insecurities and intricacies of life can turn out to be futuristic
projections. They want to lead an easy going life, wayback in 1894
when no one had heard about world wars. This indicates that,
people's unhappiness in their present life, can lead to frustration and
eventually a virtual breakdown of emotions, relationships,
organizations and systems in the future.
The other way of explaining this statement is that all inventions,
sometimes or the other have been termed illogical. The cell phones
we use today were an improbability some years before,
but today they have become a necessity. Who knows the idea of going
back in time, travelling back and forth in time (as depicted in the story)
would become possible one day!

philately - the collection and study of postage stamps.

Q. 8. Philately helps keep the past alive. Discuss other ways in which
this is done. What do you think of the human tendency to constantly
move between the past, the present and the future?

Ans. The time dimension is divided into the past, the present and the
future. Our past shapes our present. Similarly, in the present, lie seeds
of the future. Philately helps keep the past alive. In the same way,
hobbies like coin collection, books on varied topics, archaeological
excavations, monuments, relics
from the bygone era, movies, paintings and even music prevent our
glorious past from being lost.

The human tendency to constantly move between the past, the

present and the future shows man's dissatisfaction with life and a
need to rationalize. We hanker after something which we do not get.
The present does not leave man satisfied. He longs for the past to
come back and waits incessantly for something positive to turn up in
the future While waiting for the future we torture ourselves continously
in the present. We are anxious and insecure in the present, thinking
about our future.

Short type questions

Q.1. What does the third level refer to?

Ans The third level refers to another level at the Grand Central
Station. Which did not exist in reality. It was a flight of imagination and
fancy by the protagonist charley.

Q.2. Does Charley agree that stamp collecting habit is a way of

escapism? Why?
Ans No, Charley doesn't agree with his claim of his pyschiatrist friend.
Charley's grandfather was a stamp collector yet he was a happy man
and he never ran away from reality. Another stamp
collector was President Roosevelt. With the example of these 2
people. Charley believed that stamp collecting habit does not mean
escapism.

Q. 3.why did Charley run away from the third level?

Ans Charley wanted to buy two rail tickets to Galesburg but the clerk
at the station found that his notes were fake and thought Charlie was
attempting to fool him. He warned him that he would call the police.
Seeing that there was nothing good about police and jail in 1894,he
ran away.
4. Why was Charley not able to get to Galesburg again?
Ans After buying old currency in exchange of the new currency, he
went down to the second and searched for the third level at the Grand
Central Station. The door was dissipated and he could not find it
again.

5. what work did Sam set for in Galesburg? Why?

or
What would Sam have done in Galesbury for his living? Why?

Ans Sam set him self up in a hay, feed and grain business because he
could not continue his old profession in Galesburg as at that time
everyone was happy and contented so no one needed a psychiatrist.

6. What would you describe as your "waking-dream wish fulfilment"?

Explain.

Ans. By the phrase "walking dream fulfillmentthe author wanted to

convey the ease by which the author lived his dream. My waking
dream wish fulfillment will be to become a journalist who can travel the
world and bring to light without any fear the reality of situations that
people face in their
day-today lives.

Long type questions

Q..1. What does Charley think of Grand Central? What did he

discovered there?
Ans Charley thought that Grand Central was growing like a tree,
pushing out new corridors and stair cases, like roots. According to
him, the Grand Central was so big that one could lose way very easily.
Each time he discovered some new part of its meandering ways. He
thought that there was
probably a long tunnel that nobody knew about, feeling its way under
the city, on its way to times square and another to Central Park.
One day while walking down to the second level to catch an early train
to his home, he noticed a doorway and followed the steps that led him
to the third level which was never heard or seen by anyone.

2. Briefly describe Charley's strange experience in the third level?

Ans. Charley was an ordinary man, employed in New York. One day
while travelling from Vanderbilt Avenue at Grand Central Station, he
reached at the third level. It was totally unbelievable experience for
him. He saw old fashioned dressing, costumes and accessories used
by people like eighteen-ninety something. People used
string-watches, long black sleeve protectors and big sized currencies.
The trains ran on steam and coaches were smaller. He noticed that
newspapers bore the date of 1894 and the lead story about the
hundred year old America's President cleveland. He wanted to buy
two tickets for his wife and himself but couldn't buy it because he
didn't have the old currency. Charley wanted to visit there but he could
never find the third level again

3. How did Sam's mail reach Charley?

Ans. Sam reached the third level and started living in Galesburg. He
became a part of a hundred year old world, the year 1894, a world
devoid of the modern means of communication. Everyone depended
on postal system at that time. In order to inform Charley about the
existence of the third level, Sam sent a letter to Charley's Grandfather
who still existed in the third level and his Grandfather kept the mail in
his stamp collęction. This collection was consequently recieved by
Charley. Sam had no easy way to
send charley a message that the third level was no waking dream
wish fulfilment but a reality. Sam was aware of the fact that Charley's
grandfather would be alive in 1894 Galesburg, having a-stamp
collection and that this same collection was with Charley. So Sam
send the envelope to Charley's grandfather and he kept it is his
collection and reached Charley.