The Third level was a pleasant,hospitable place. The author gives it a realistic touch by comparing it to the other two levels. While the other two levels are in the present the third level is in the past. the ticket counters are much smaller, fewer train gates and counters, old and made of wood and is dim and flickering. author makes the readers believe in the third level through the letter of Sam saying that it really existed.
Charley
The tone of "The Third Level" by Jack Finney is nostalgic and wistful. The narrator expresses a longing for a simpler, bygone era, and there is a sense of yearning for something lost.
The third level does not exist as it is clearly mentioned that Grand Central Station consists of the two levels. The third level is the figment of Charley's imagination who wants to escape the harsh reality and enter a peaceful and tranquil world. Its a waking dream wish fulfilment.
Despite Charley's efforts to go to the third level, he was unable to find it again. He shared his experience with his wife, who got worried. He went back to his stamps. His friend Sam had disappeared and nobody knew where he was but Charley was certain that he had found the third level and gone there. Charley's description of the place had fascinated him and he had gone there in 1894.
The element that fits this description is lithium. It has 3 electrons, with 2 of them in the third energy level.
The moral of the story "The Third Level" by Jack Finney is that sometimes it is important to believe in the possibility of alternate realities or experiences that can bring happiness and fulfillment, even if they may not be easily explained or understood by others. It emphasizes the power of imagination and hope in finding solace and escape from the challenges of the present.
In 'The Third Level', Jack Finney treats his favourite subject 'Time' in a new dimension. The Third Level is a point where the past and the present meet. Charley, the protagonist loses his way. He finds himself in what he thinks is the third level of the Grand Central Station in New York. He realizes that something is different and discovers that he has somehow reached the year 1894. It is the period Finney would want to be in. The responses and happiness of the three characters in the story revolve around the third level. Charley is excited and wants two tickets for Galesburg, a peaceful town in the pre-war period. Sam, Charley's psychiatrist friend attributes it to his desire to escape from the stress of life. Later on, Sam drew all his life's savings from the bank and exchanged it for 1894 currency. He was able to cross time and reach a quieter, more peaceful past where his services as a psychiatrist were not required. Louisa did not believe that one could cross over the time dimension till Charley received a letter from Sam. Jack Finney leaves the readers wondering what 'The Third Level' really is. Even though Charley is able to find proof and make the transition back and forth in time, Sam, his friend is already there and enjoying himself. The reader gets transported into the shadowy, eerie world of dreams, desires and reality.
Third Level," a collection of short stories, Finney writes about people who are upset with the world they live in, they seek some idyllic place in the country's recent past. In the story "The Third Level," it's a mysterious level of Grand Central Station that leads to a town in Ohio in 1894; in "Second Chance" a restored car brings a man back to the 1920s; and in "Of Missing Persons" offers an escape into 'romantic Verna' a planet of paradise.
Charley read the note that confirmed the fact that the third level was true. The note signed by Sam also read that he had been at Galesburg for two weeks and was enjoying himself there. Sam had urged Charley and his wife Louisa to keep looking for the third level till they could find it and join him. It was worth the effort.
Jack Finney Described Galesburg as follows, Galesburg was a wonderful town with big old frame houses, huge lawns, and tremendous trees whose branches met overhead and roofed over the streets. In 1894, summer evenings were twice as long, and people sat on their lawns, the men smoking.
Grand Central Station, New York, year 19??
The opening setting of "The Third Level," a short story by Jack Finney, takes place in Grand Central Station in New York City. The protagonist, Charley, describes the bustling atmosphere of the station filled with commuters and the modern hustle of urban life. However, he soon discovers a hidden, more nostalgic third level of the station that transports him back to a simpler time in the past. This contrast between the contemporary setting and the alluring past plays a crucial role in the story's themes.