The Chapter Notes based on the lesson ‘The Third Level” for Class 12 English Core textbook “Vista”. The notes include summary, themes, message and character sketches. Click for more resources.
Notes for “The Third Level” by Jack Finney, including Key Points / Summary and Character Sketches
📘 Summary in English:
“The Third Level” is a science fiction story written by Jack Finney. It explores the idea of time travel as a way to escape from the stress and anxiety of modern life.
The story is narrated by Charley, a 31-year-old man living in New York. He works in an office and feels that life has become too fast, competitive, and full of pressure. One day, while walking through Grand Central Station, he discovers something unusual – a third level at the station, which doesn’t exist in reality. The station officially has only two levels, but he finds a staircase that leads to this third level.
When Charley reaches this level, he is surprised to see that everything looks old-fashioned. People are wearing clothes from the 1890s, the lights are dim, the newspapers are from 1894, and the surroundings seem peaceful and simple. He realizes that he has travelled back in time to the year 1894, where life was calmer and safer — no world wars, no traffic, and no tension.
Charley decides he wants to go back to this peaceful past. He collects old currency so that he can buy a train ticket to Galesburg, Illinois in 1894, a town known for its simple and happy life. But when he tries to find the third level again, he cannot. It seems to have disappeared.
He tells his friend Sam, who is a psychiatrist, about this. Sam says Charley is just imagining it as a way to deal with his stress. However, later Charley finds a letter in his old stamp collection. The letter is from Sam, written in 1894! This surprises him, as it means Sam also found the third level and actually travelled back in time.
The story ends on a mysterious note. It makes the reader think — was the third level real, or was it just a fantasy? The author leaves it open for interpretation.
📗 “The Third Level” – सारांश हिंदी में:
“द थर्ड लेवल” एक काल्पनिक (science fiction) कहानी है जिसे जैक फिनी ने लिखा है। यह कहानी आधुनिक जीवन की भागदौड़ और तनाव से बचने के लिए अतीत में जाने की कल्पना को दिखाती है।
चार्ली नाम का एक 31 साल का युवक इस कहानी का मुख्य पात्र है। वह न्यूयॉर्क में रहता है और एक दफ्तर में काम करता है। उसे लगता है कि आज की जिंदगी बहुत तनावपूर्ण और तेज़ हो गई है। एक दिन, जब वह ग्रैंड सेंट्रल स्टेशन से गुजर रहा होता है, तो वह गलती से एक तीसरे स्तर (Third Level) पर पहुंच जाता है, जबकि स्टेशन में केवल दो ही स्तर होते हैं।
यह तीसरा स्तर बहुत पुराना सा लगता है। वहां लोग 1890 के दशक के कपड़े पहने हुए हैं, गैस लाइट जल रही है, और अखबार पर 1894 की तारीख छपी है। चार्ली समझ जाता है कि वह समय में पीछे जाकर 1894 में पहुंच गया है — एक ऐसा समय जब जीवन सरल और शांत था।
चार्ली को यह दुनिया बहुत पसंद आती है और वह उसमें वापस जाना चाहता है। वह पुराने नोट इकट्ठा करता है ताकि वह ट्रेन से गेल्सबर्ग, इलिनॉय (Galesburg, Illinois) जा सके — जो एक शांत और खूबसूरत जगह है। लेकिन बाद में वह तीसरा स्तर फिर कभी नहीं ढूंढ पाता।
वह यह बात अपने दोस्त सैम को बताता है, जो कि एक मनोचिकित्सक है। सैम कहता है कि चार्ली बस कल्पना कर रहा है क्योंकि वह तनाव से बचना चाहता है। लेकिन कुछ समय बाद, चार्ली को अपने पुराने डाक टिकट संग्रह में सैम का एक पत्र मिलता है — और वह पत्र 1894 में लिखा गया था! इसका मतलब सैम भी उस तीसरे स्तर पर गया था।
कहानी का अंत रहस्यमय है। लेखक यह सोचने के लिए छोड़ देता है कि क्या तीसरा स्तर वास्तव में था या यह सब चार्ली की कल्पना थी।
Key Points – “The Third Level”
- Story Theme:
The story is a blend of fantasy and reality. It shows how modern life creates stress, and people try to escape it in different ways. - Main Character – Charley:
Charley is a 31-year-old man living in New York. He is unhappy with the stress of modern life and dreams of a simpler, peaceful time. - Discovery of the Third Level:
One evening, Charley is at Grand Central Station. He unexpectedly finds a strange old-style platform — the Third Level, which doesn’t really exist in the present world. - A Journey to 1894:
The Third Level takes Charley to the year 1894, where life is peaceful, people are relaxed, and everything is cheaper. He wants to go there again. - Wants to Escape Reality:
Charley buys old currency to return to 1894. But he never finds the Third Level again. - Twist – Sam’s Disappearance:
His friend Sam, a psychiatrist, also vanishes. Later, Charley finds a letter from Sam, dated 1894 — it means Sam has gone to live in the past! - Ending Message:
The story ends with the idea that sometimes people create fantasy worlds to escape stress. But it also raises a question: Was the Third Level real or not?
Theme of the Story – The Third Level
The main theme of The Third Level is escapism — the desire to escape from the problems of modern life. The story shows how people often feel stressed, afraid, or unhappy in today’s fast-paced world. So, they look for peace and comfort by thinking about the past.
The main character, Charley, finds a mysterious “third level” at Grand Central Station, which becomes a symbol of his desire to live in a peaceful past. This third level is not real — it is his imagination. It shows his wish to live in a simpler and quieter time, like in 1894.
The story also touches on time travel and the imaginative power of the mind. The story blurs the line between reality and imagination, suggesting that sometimes our desire to escape can lead us to create alternate, dream-like worlds in our minds. It makes the reader wonder: Is the third level real or just a dream?
Overall, the story tells us that when life becomes too stressful, people may create imaginary worlds to feel safe and happy. It highlights the human need for peace, security, and a connection to the past.
‘The Third Level’ कहानी की थीम (विषयवस्तु) – हिंदी में:
इस कहानी का मुख्य विषय है “यथार्थ से पलायन” (Escapism)। इसमें दिखाया गया है कि आज की तेज़, तनावपूर्ण और असुरक्षित ज़िंदगी से लोग बहुत परेशान हैं। ऐसे में वे अक्सर शांति और सादगी भरे पुराने समय की ओर भागना चाहते हैं।
चार्ली जब ग्रैंड सेंट्रल स्टेशन पर ‘थर्ड लेवल’ (तीसरा स्तर) खोजता है, तो यह असल में उसकी कल्पना की दुनिया होती है। यह कहानी कल्पना और हकीकत के बीच की सीमाओं को धुंधला कर देती है और यह बताती है कि जब इंसान को असली दुनिया कठिन लगती है, तो वह अपने मन में एक और दुनिया बना लेता है — एक ऐसी दुनिया जहाँ वह सुकून महसूस कर सके।
कहानी हमें यह समझाती है कि कभी-कभी लोग अपनी परेशानियों से बचने के लिए कल्पना की दुनिया में जीने लगते हैं।
Character Sketches – “The Third Level”
🔹 Charley
- A 31-year-old man from New York.
- Works in an office.
- Loves stamp collecting (shows his interest in the past).
- Feels modern life is full of stress, war, and pressure.
- He finds a mysterious Third Level in Grand Central and wants to escape into the peaceful past.
- Shows how people sometimes mentally escape reality when life gets tough.
🔹 Sam Weiner
- Charley’s close friend and a psychiatrist.
- Believes Charley is imagining the Third Level.
- Later, Sam disappears and writes a letter from 1894.
- Shows that even logical people may also want to escape from modern stress.
🔹 Louisa (Charley’s wife)
- Supportive and caring.
- Worried about Charley’s thoughts and obsession with the Third Level.
- Represents stability and reality in Charley’s life.
Message of the Story – The Third Level
The story gives the message that in a stressful and fast-moving world, people often wish to escape to a peaceful and simpler time. It shows how the mind can create imaginary worlds to find comfort and relief from reality.
कहानी ‘The Third Level’ का संदेश
यह कहानी यह संदेश देती है कि तनावपूर्ण और तेज़ रफ्तार जिंदगी में लोग अक्सर शांति और सरलता की तलाश करते हैं। कभी-कभी हमारा मन कल्पना की दुनिया बना लेता है ताकि हमें सच्चाई से थोड़ी राहत मिल सके।