THE THIRD LEVEL

Question 1. What does the third level refer to?(impt)

Answer: The third level is the world somewhere between dream and reality. It is a world of fantasy that Charley had created to occasionally seek and escape to. It is an escapist’s world to be away from the reality of modern-day problems.

Question 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, because when Charley went to the third level to buy tickets, he found that he had different currency from that period. So, he exchanged all his savings for 1894 currency to buy tickets from the third level to Galesburg, Illinois. However, he could not find the third level again as it did not exist.

The Third Level Reading With Insight

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

Answer: Yes, the third level was Charley’s medium of escape from the harsh realities of the world. Life today is full of insecurity, fear and worries. He had a fascination for the past, this is visible in his attachment to the stamp album inherited from his grandfather; so his idea of true happiness was already ingrained in his mind as a return to the past. Thus in his mind, he has always wanted to go back in time, so he found the third level as a fulfillment of his dream.

Question 2. What do you infer from Sam’s letter to Charley?

Answer: Sam’s letter is a result of Charley’s imagination. This can be understood from the fact that the letter was enclosed in a first-day cover and addressed to his grandfather. First-day covers are usually sent by a person to himself on the launch date of a particular stamp. Such envelopes carry only empty letters and are not meant to be opened. But Charley happens to open one of his grandfathers’ first-day covers dated 11th July 1894 and finds Sam’s letter in it. This proves that Sam’s letter is completely imaginary.

Question 4. Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story? (vvvvvvvvv impt)

Answer: Yes, the story clearly shows 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 Charley goes to get old currency to buy tickets to go to the Galesburg of 1894. The old architecture of the platform at the third level is different from the platform of modern times. The archaic manner of dressing by the people and the newspaper, The World, dated June 11, 1894, also overlap with Charley’s real-time world and existence. Finally, the letter that was mailed to Charley’s Grandfather on 18 July 1894 highlights the intersection of time and space.