THE THIRD LEVEL

THE THIRD LEVEL

 - JACK FINNEY

IMPORTANT - QUESTION ANSWERS 

1. What does 'The Third Level' refer to in the story? 

Answer - The Grand Central Station of New York has a subway from where trains run under the ground to different stations. It was known to have two levels of subway. No one had ever heard of any third level there. In this story, the mystery of there being a third level has been dealt with. 

2. What did Charley's friends say about his stamp collecting? 

Answer - They said it showed his desire to escape from a world that was full of insecurity, fear and worry. His stamp collecting gave him a temporary refuge from reality. 

3. How does Charley define 'a first-day cover'? 

Answer - When a new stamp is issued, stamp collectors buy some of these. They use them to mail envelopes to themselves on the very first day of the sale. The postmark proves the date. Such an envelope is called 'a first-day cover'.

4. What does Charley say about the first and second levels at the Grand Central? 

Answer - Charley says that at the first level, one can take trains like the Twentieth Century. At the second level, one can take one of the suburban trains. But he often loses his way when he is at the second level of the subway. 

5. How did Charley reach the third level of the Grand Central Station? 

Answer - Once Charley got lost on the second level. A doorway led him to a corridor he had never seen before. It went turning left and slanting downward. Then the tunnel turned sharp left. Here he went down a few steps. He found that he had come on the third level of the Grand Central Station. 

6. What did Charley suspect when Sam Weiner disappeared? 

Answer - Charley and Sam both belonged to Galesburg. Both of them liked the place and often talked about it. Now when Sam disappeared, Charley suspected that he had reached Galesburg through the third level subway. Of course, it was in 1894 and Sam still lived there. 

7. What is Sam's old business? Why can't he go back to it? 

Answer - Sam's old business is that of a psychiatrist. But now he is in Galesburg of 1894. It is a period when people are free from all worries. There is no need of any psychiatrist. Thus Sam cannot go back to his old business. 

8. Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story 'The Third Level'? 

Answer - The story moves at two different levels both in space and time. And these two levels often intersect each other. The writer has tried to interweave fantasy and reality. When the characters are in a state of fantasy, they go back to the period of 1890-something.They talk of a subway that can take them to anywhere in the United States. But in reality, they belong to the modern times and live around New York Central.

 The main character in the story is Charley. He often travels to his work through the subway of the Grand Central Station. He knows of only two levels there from where the trains run. But once in his fantasy, he discovers a third level also. Here he sees everything different. The people are dressed in the old style of 1890's. They use old-style bills to buy their tickets. The writer comes back and arranges for old-style bills. He decides to go to Galesburg using the third level. But he can never find the third level again. Thus we see that there is a lot of intersection of space and time in the story.