ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jack Finney (2 October 1911-16 November 1995 was born in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and given the name John Finney. His
father died when he was three years old and he was renamed
Walter Braden Finney in honour of his father. Yet the
nickname Jack remained with him throughout his life. He
attended Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. His best-known
works are science fiction and thrillers. Two of his novels,
‘The Body Snatchers’ and ‘Good Neighbour Sam’ became
the basis of popular films.
 THEMES
 Follow your heart

Charley thinks he saw the third level, but everyone thinks

he’s crazy. Later, he finds out that it does exist.

 Don’t give up

Even after Charley was convinced that the third level

doesn’t exist, he still kept looking for it
 SUMMARY
The story revolves around a 31 year old man named Charley,
who experienced something weird. One day after work
coming from the Subway, he reached the third level of the
Grand Central station (which doesn’t actually exist). He
reminisces the entire experience with his psychiatrist friend
Sam. Charley thought he experienced time travel and had
reached somewhere in the eighteen-nineties, a time before the
world saw two of its deadliest wars. As soon as he realised
what time he is in, he immediately decided to buy two tickets
to Galesburg, Illinois; one for himself and the other for his
wife. Unfortunately, the currency used in that century was
different. Thus, the next day he withdrew all his savings and
got them converted even if it meant bearing losses. He went
looking for the third level but failed to find it. It worried his
wife and the psychiatrist Sam who told him that he is
hallucinating in order to take refuge from reality and miseries
of the modern world which is full of worry. Charley thus
resorts to his stamp collection in order to distract himself
when suddenly one day he finds a letter from his friend Sam
who had gone missing recently. Sam wrote that he always
wanted to believe in the idea of third level and now that he is
there himself, he encourages Charley and Louisa to never
stop looking for it.

CHARACTER SKETCH

Charley: The protagonist of the story, he is a true

representative modern man. He is a victim of insecurities of
modern life and wants to run away from reality.

Louisa: Charley’s wife, a home maker. She is loving and

caring towards her husband. However, she is a simple lady
and it is not difficult to take her in.

Psychiatrist friend: He is a well dignified psychiatrist by

profession, a typical city boy.
Have you ever wondered of entering a different world,
totally fascinating but very hard to believe!
 SCENE - 1
One late night, Charley was heading back home from office
through Grand Central Station.

Charley: As of the population of New York, there exists only

two levels in the Grand Central Station. But… I’ve been to
the third level of it.

Psychiatrist friend: It’s you’re walking dream wish

fulfilment. You’re hapless about the existing world.

Charley: Louisa would definitely become insane on hearing

you.

Psychiatrist friend: I didn’t mean to hurt your wife. But in

reality, the world is full if insecurity, fear, war, worry and all
rest of it… and you are just wishing to escape.

Charley: Well, who doesn’t? But no one has ever entered the
third level as me!

Psychiatrist friend: This must be the only reason for

escaping.
Charley: Everything points to it. I spend time on collecting
stamps that make me forget about unsecured world.

Well, maybe, but my grandfather didn’t need any refuge from

reality; things were pretty nice and peaceful in his day, from
all I hear, and he started my collection. It’s a nice collection
too, blocks of four of practically every U.S. issue, first-day
covers, and so on. President Roosevelt collected stamps too,
you know.

SCENE - 2
Charley entering the third level.

(Charley was wearing a tan Gabardine suit and a straw hat

with a fancy band.)
Charley: One last night summer, I worked late at the office,
and I decided to take the Grand Central Station because it
is faster than bus. I just want to get home, to meet my wife
Louisa. I turned into Vanderbilt Avenue. I went down the
steps to first level. Then I walked again another flight of
stairs to the second level, where the suburban trains leave
from.
(Charley had bumped into new doorways and stairs,
corridors. Once, he got into tune and came out in the lobby of
Roosevelt.

Another time, he came up in an office building on 46 th Street,

3 blocks away.)

Charley: Sometime, I think, Grand Central Station is

growing like a tree pushy out new doors and staircases.

(Grand Central has been an exit, a way of escape, maybe

that’s how Charley went into a new tunnel but never told his
psychiatrist friend about this.
Charley kept on walking and heard the empty sound of his
own footsteps and didn’t pass a soul. Finally, Charley entered
the third level.)

SCENE - 3 1890’s Galesburg, Illinois.

Charley: I saw the room was smaller, there were only lesser
ticket counters and train gates and info booths were of wood.

Man in the booth wore a green eyeshade and long black

sleeve protectors. There were open-flame gas lights, dim and
sort of flickering.
There were brass spittoons on floor. I saw people wearing
kind of dress with big black handle bar moustaches. It was
like 1890’s

To make sure, I walked to a newsboy and took

a look at the newspaper which was named as
‘The World’, But it has not Been
published for years and
the date read “June 11, 1894”. I
decided to buy two tickets to
Galesburg, Illinois, which takes me
and Louisa to Galesburg of 1894.
In the 1894, summer evenings were twice as long and it was a
peaceful world, and I wanted two tickets, but the clerk stared
at me
Clerk: “That ain’t money, mister”. And if you try to skin me,
you won’t get very far.

Charley: Later, I recognised that money was a kind of old

style bills. I turned away and hot out fast. There’s nothing
nice about jail even in 1894.

SCENE - 4

Charley understood that third level was true.

(After making an exit oh the third level, the next day Charley
went to bank and drew there hundred dollars and bought old
style currency from a coin dealer and bought 200 dollars of
old style bills.)

Charley: I tried to enter third level again, but I couldn’t find

the corridor.

Louisa: Is this all real? I don’t want to look for the third level
anymore, Charley. Instead, you can concentrate on the other
works that you are up to.

Charley: Yes, you are right, Louisa.

And, I was back on
collecting stamps.
That night, I saw a
first day cover
which the picture
of
President Garfield and the address was of the Grandfather’s
house with date July 18, 1894.
You know? First day covers are never opened as stamp
collectors buy some and use them to mail themselves the very
first day of sale.

The stamp on the cover was a dull brown six-cent.

I opened it.

The note was signed ‘Sam’.

I found out that Sam had bought eight hundred dollars’ worth
of old-styled currency, and settled with nice hay at 1890’s
Galesburg.

And, Sam was my psychiatrist friend!

 ENGLISH PROJECT
SUBMITTED FOR AISSCE

THE THIRD LEVEL

-BY JACK FINNEY
Name: Leygashri.M
Register no: 2063514
Class and sec: XII- A (science stream)
Batch: 2021-2022
Subject: English