Chapter 1: The Third Level

1. What does the third level refer to?

Ans: The third level was the subway of the Grand Central Station, and it took
passengers from Galesburg, Illinois. Metaphorically it refers to an escape
medium that takes man away from the harsh realities of life. In the present
world, people are lost in the rush to achieve more and are clouded by worries
and anxieties. A man wishes to fulfill the wishes that are rooted in his
subconscious mind. The third level provided space to fabricate fantasy and
reality.
2. Would Charley ever go back to the ticket counter on the third level to
buy tickets to Galesburg for himself and his wife?
Ans: No, Charley would never go back to the ticket- counter on the third level
to buy tickets to Galesburg for himself and his wife. He withdrew three
hundred dollars from the bank so that he could arrange some “old currency”
since it belonged to a different time period. He could not find the third level
since it was just a strand of his imagination to escape reality and has entered
the world of romance and fantasy.
3. Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley?
Why?
Ans: Yes, I think the third level was a medium of escape for Charley. His life
was full of worries, stress, insecurity, and fear which caused him a lot of
mental strain. The mental strain he had gone through was harsh and it made
living for him unbearable and unpleasant. Since his reality was so unpleasant,
he did various things that helped him escape reality. His stamp collecting was
a ‘temporary refuge from reality. Later when he contacted his psychiatrist
friend and told him about the third level incident, he termed it “a waking-
dream wish fulfillment”.
4. What do you infer from Sam’s letter to Charley?
Ans: Sam’s letter was received from the third level- Galesburg, dated July 18,
1894. The envelope had the address of his grandfather and a picture of
President Garfield as the postmark. In the letter, he stated that he had been
there for two weeks now and it was a hospitable place. The letter appears to
be an outcome of Charley’s imagination but it successfully brought out the
difference between the present world, which was troublesome and filled with
tension, and the pre World war era that was tranquil.
5. ‘The modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry, and stress.’
What are the ways in which we attempt to overcome them?
Ans: The modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry, and stress.’
Stress and worries are an inevitable part of daily and busy life especially in the
hustle and bustle of the modern world. We are more involved in gaining more
profit and collecting material wealth and losing connection with our inner
desires. Doing things like meditation and yoga daily can help us get rid of the
anxieties and fears that we have. Eating a healthy diet not only maintains your
body health but also mental health too. Finding your hobbies and doing them
on a regular basis helps us to distract our mind from the daily stress and
concentrate on something productive that our heart loves. Going out with
people you love, occasionally also refreshes your mind and helps you let go of
all the worries in your head. For more busy days, listening to calming music or
playing with your pet can make you feel instantly refreshed and in a good
mood. These small activities won't seem very significant but will make you
feel much better and happy.
4. Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story?
Ans: Yes, the author has cleverly used elements of time and history to make
the story more thrilling. The first instance of the same could be seen in the
different levels that existed in the Grand Central Station. The first two levels
were in the present while the third level belonged to the 1890s. He rushes to a
bank to get an old currency denomination to pay for the train tickets for
Galesburg. The architecture of the third level was old and unconventional. The
people on the station dressed very typically like the people from the 1890s
and held a newspaper, The World dated June 11, 1984. Finally, we see that the
letter which was mailed to Charley’s grandfather on 18 th, July 1894
intersected the time and space since the sender and receiver belonged to the
present time.
5. Apparent illogicality sometimes turns out to be a futuristic projection?
Ans: Yes, I do believe that apparently, illogically sometimes I turn out to be a
futuristic person. Anyone who does an invention is apparently a step towards
the future and appears like a futuristic projection. Before Graham Bell’s
invention of the telephone, it was a thing people could have only imagined
seeing. Similar goes for Wright Brothers too who invented the first airplane.
These things were impossible to believe during the period of time they were
discovered but were apparently true. More modern-day machines like a
sewing machine would have been something that the general masses could
not have believed in. All these thoughts soon turn into reality and the things
that seem illogical might actually be a step into our future.
6. Philately helps keep the past alive. Discuss other ways in which this is
done. What do you think of the human tendency to constantly move
between the past, the present, and the future?
Ans: Philately helps keep the past alive. There are various other ways too that
can help us keep the past alive. The collection of various paintings,
inscriptions, artifacts, books, etc. helps to preserve what actually existed a
while ago in the period of time. Keeping sketches, letters, and diary entries is
another fun way of preserving the past with oneself. These not only help us to
keep our history alive but also keeps our tradition and culture to survive and
sustain for years. These things also provide us an opportunity to learn what
history contained and unveil its secrets before us. Old buildings and artifacts
are also a source of history for us. It's amazing that the human brain tends to
move between present, past and future. But this capacity can be a great source
of stress and depression. Thinking and worrying about what happened in the
past and what will happen in the future always keeps us in a state of unrest.
We should learn to accept what the present has for us and try to live it to the
fullest. The present provides us opportunities to learn which our past holds
memories for us to cherish later.
7. You have read ‘Adventure’ by Jayant Narlikar in Hornbill Class XI.
Compare the interweaving of fantasy and reality in the two stories.
Ans: The stories hold various supernatural and mystical elements within
them. The stories help us drift away from practical reality and help us explore
the world that our brain can create. In ‘Adventure’ Jayant Narlikar brought
forth his view that various worlds could exist simultaneously. The worlds that
exist can be separated by time. In ‘The Third Level,’ Charley encounters a new
world from the past on the third floor of the Grand Central Station. He finds a
gateway that leads to the past of 1894. He even didn't have any currency of
that period for which he had to rush to the bank. Both these stories had
elements of time travel.