THE THIRD LEVEL – JACK FINNEY

1.Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why?

War, worry, insecurity, and fear keep on gnawing at the modern man's mind all the
time. This helplessness and frustration leaves man baffled und he is at a loss to
learn way of facing life. It is then, that he looks for 'a temporary refuge from reality'
Pursuit of hobbies like stamp-collecting diverts his attention temporarily and gives
him some comfort.

The fast pace of life, overwork and subconscious apprehensions had made Charley
too uneasy and restless. He yearned for peace, tranquillity and serenity. Like many
others, he too turned to philately but probably, the degree of relief that this hobby
provided, was not sufficient to calm him down emotionally.

Hence, the redoubled efforts of his subconscious mind for escape resulted in his
flight to the third level - a level of existence which he associated with tranquillity. His
psychiatrist friend, Sam Weiner, also diagnosed Charley's claim to have visited the
third level, as 'a waking-dream wish fulfilment.

Hence the third level was undoubtedly, a medium of escape for Charley.

02. What do you infer from Sam's letter to Charley? Comment.

Sam letter, dated his having been written from Galesburg , Ilinois is a proof of his
having been transported to Galesburg via the third level. The content of the letter
indicates that diagnosing Charley's claim to have visited the third level, Sam had
explained it to be an escape mode. But being equally insecure, in the heart of hearts,
he had wished the entire episode was true. In fact, inwardly, he too yearned for such
an escape. By and by, he believed in the existence of the third level and carried out
an intensive search for it and eventually found it. Galesburg fascinated him and gave
him the taste of tension-free life with ample leisure and boundless innocent pleasure.
He enjoyed the easy going, peaceful and simple life where people loved music,
dance and socialising. He suggested to Charley and Louisa to keep on looking for it
till they came across it.
The letter surprises the reader because it is found in a first-day cover addressed to
Charley's grandfather. He wonders whether Sam had written it to Charley or
Charley's grandfather.
Thus, the letter appears to be a strange but interesting mixture of the real and the
fantastic.

3. "The modern world is full of insecurity, fear, wat, worry and stress." What
are the ways in which we attempt to overcome them?

Insecurity of war, worry, fear and stress rob man of his peace of mind. Thus our
conscious mind constantly forces out the invasion of tension and anxiety. Stripped of

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all thrill and excitement, modern man rather than living lite in the real sense fie
world merely goes through the process of existing. In order to get out of this
quagmire, he turns to religion, world of fiction, fantasy, hobbies, sports, music and
creativity. These things divert man's attention from harsh realities. Thus, man
experiences some sort of a relief from his worries. The degree of involvement in
these activities ascertains the level of calmness a man attains. The tranquillity that
he experiences for himself saves him from the psychiatric problems caused by
stress, strain, and apprehension.

4. Apparent illogicality sometimes turns out to be a futuristic projection.

The visualisation of something that the world is unfamiliar with, usually seems to be
illogical. In fact a good number of scientific inventions sounded ridiculous when some
fertile mind imagined them for the first time. Aeroplane, railway-engine, telephone,
radio, television, mobile phone - all of them must have sounded illogical
impossibilities till some brilliant minds gave them a concrete shape. Jules Verne's
contraptions - a century before they actually came into shape - must have sounded
interesting but possible only in the realm of imagination. Similarly, the make-believe
world of science fiction and all talk about aliens and extra-terrestrial life may sound a
bit unlikely and unbelievable today but who knows tomorrow man may be travelling
to planets inhabited by aliens and aliens too might come to visit Earth. However, the
apparent illogicalities of the past like the submarines did prove to be futuristic
projections. The idea of going back in time, as shown in 'The Third Level', is illogical
yet some day in future, it may become possible and one may get transported back in
time whenever one may be bored with the present world.

5. Philately helps keep the past alive, Discus otter ways in whic this is done.
What do you think of the human tendency b constantly move between the
past, the present and the future?

Past, present, and future are like links in the chain of existence.

Unlike the other species, human beings learn from their past while trying to make the
present and future better. The knowledge and experience of the past helps one
widen one's horizons and add new dimensions to one's present and future.

Philately helps one keep one's past alive. There are many other such mediums like
the monuments, relics, coins, literature, religion and history and so on that prevent
the past from getting buried in the debris of oblivion.

Human tendency to oscillate between the three phases of time - past, present and
future - reveals man's urge to chase what evades him. Present usually leaves man
dissatisfied and he takes it casually but when present fades into past he looks back
with a sigh and recalls those days 'good old days'. Similarly future too is looked upon

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as a promise that might bring fulfillment. Thus, present remains merely as a waiting
period.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
1. Give a description of the 'third level’.

The general layout of the third level was more or less similar to that of the second
level. But it had comparatively smaller rooms, fewer ticket windows and train gates.
The information booth in the centre was wooden and it bore an old look. One could
spot a small Currier & Ives locomotive with a funnel-shaped stack on this level. The
place with brass spittoons did not look very bright in the open-flame gaslights.
Everyone in the station was dressed like 'eighteen-ninety-something'
money actually meant more.

2. Why could Charley not reach the third level again?

3.How did Charley confirm the specific date of the era that he had passed into?

On reaching the third level, Charley was quite puzzled to see a strange looking
platform, an outdated locomotive, and the people dressed in old-fashioned styles. To
do a reality check, he looked at the newspaper, 'The World', carrying a lead story on
President Cleveland who belonged to late 19th century. Later, he confirmed from the
Public Library files that the newspaper was dated 11th June, 1894.

4. Why did Sam buy eight hundred dollars of old-style currency?

Sam must have spent all the earnings of his lifetime to buy eight hundred dollars of
old-style currency. What apparently seemed to be a foolish bargain was considered
to be very profitable one by him as he had sold his materialistic earnings to buy
fulfilment of his soul. Moreover, eight hundred dollars was enough to start a nice hay,
feed and grain business in Galesburg.

5. Why does Charley say, 'he (Sam) certainly can't go back to his old
business?

Charley knew that though it was less profitable, the quiet business of hay, feed and
grain would give Sam a greater sense of satisfaction. Moreover, being a psychiatrist,
he had no scope of reverting to his own profession as in 1894 a psychiatrist would
be unacceptable, since in 1894 the science of psychiatry was in its infancy.

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