2. The theme
• What are the factors that causes stress in this modern world?
• What are the consequences of extreme stress?
• Physically and mentally
• Everybody wants to have a normal and peaceful life which seems
impossible?
• What we do to divert from stress?
• Hobbies, sports, entertainments, watching movies , shows, theme
parks, parties etc.
• So everyone has a tendency to escape from his stressful world
3. The Third Level- a mixture of mythology and
science
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
4. PRE READING QUESTIONS (SILENT READING)
• 1. In reality how many levels are there in Grand Central Station?
• 2. What was the claim that charley made to his friends?
• 3. Who is Louisa?
• 4. Why did Charley choose train to go home on that day?
• 5. what was the strange habit that Charley had?
• 6. What was the striking difference that he felt when he reached the
third level?
• 7. Where did he want to go from the third level?
• 8. Why did the ticket clerk refuse to give the ticket to Charley?
• 9. Whose letter was found in the first day cover?
• 10. What had happened to Sam at the end of the story?
5. SOMETHING UNBELIEVABLE
• Charley is in confusion
• He had a strange experience recently
• When he shares his experience nobody was ready to believe him
• His close friend Sam says that it’s a kind of walking dream wish
fulfilment.
• The modern world is full of insecurity. There is fear, war, worry, stress
• It makes everyone feel insecure and unhappy
• This kind of imagination is a kind of escapism to divert from that
stress.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
6. Something about Charley
• Charley is a common cool guy
• Thirty one years old
• His wife is Louisa
• He was working in an office
• He is interested in stamp collection.
• He got this hobby from his grandfather
• He has excellent collection of stamps in his store
• When talking about the modern life, Charley points out the life in
those days of his grandfather was so peaceful.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC
7. The strange incident
• One night Charley was returning home from his office
• He had to travel a distance
• He chose train to travel so that he can reach home soon
• He says that he was not having any stress or worry
• Just he wanted to reach home quickly as possible
• He enters Grand Central Station
• Takes the steps to reach his platform
• It is a tunnel like
• Suddenly he realises that he lost his way
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
8. GRAND CENTRAL STATION – A VIEW
• It’s not new to charley to lose his way
• Grand Central is very huge
• Its normal to anyone to lose his way
• Charley is little bit absent minded
• Many times he has lost his way and entered in wrong direction.
• He fins a tunnel with arch gate which says third level
• He enters into that tunnel
• Charley has a crazy habit to try new ways whenever he finds them
9. THE THIRD LEVEL
• Charley comes out of the tunnel
• There is something strikes his attention
• Everything looks different
• The ticket counter was small,
• The information counter was made of wood and old looking
• The man in the counter was wearing an outdated uniform
• The lights were dim, because they were open flame gaslights
• There were spittoons on the floor
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
10. The men in the third level
• Men were having hand watch
• They were in old fashioned suits and hats
• They had long mustache, long beards, thick sideburns
• Women were in leg-of mutton sleeves, and skirts, and high buttoned
shoes
• Even the locomotive in the station was looked outdated.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC
BY-SA
11. A shock and surprise
• Charley is confused and had a doubt
• He went to the book stall nearby
• Had a glance at the books and newspapers
• All are out dated
• The newspaper ‘The World” hasn’t been published for years
• The cover story of the newspaper was about president Cleveland who
is no more
• Then checked the date of publication
• It says June, 11, 1894
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
12. A quick decision
• He understood that he is in the year 1894
• Remembers the life in 1800s what his grandfather used to tell him
• He wanted to go to his hometown Galesburg to see how the life is
there.
• So he decides to take two tickets to Galesburg for him and his wife.
• He goes to the ticket counter and asks for the tickets
• But when he pays the money, the clerk shouts at him
• Because he has modern currency which doesn’t have any value in
1980s
13. A disappointment
• Charley comes back from the third level
• But doesn’t want to give up
• Determined to go back to the third level and travel to his hometown
• Next day he goes to money broker and buy old currency worth of two
hundred dollars
• He says the life in 1894 would be inexpensive and peaceful
• But when he went back to the station he could not find the third level
• He tries a lot but he could not
• First his wife protests his meaningless search
• But one day she also joins the search. Why? What happened?
14. The mysterious letter
• Sam, Charley’s close friend disappears
• Nobody knows what happened to him
• One day Charley finds a first day cover in his collection box
• First day cover is when a new stamp is released by the government,
the stamp collectors buy that and past it in a empty cover and send to
themselves. When it reaches them with the postal mark it will be
considered as valuable.
• There was a letter inside
• Shockingly, it was written by Sam
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
15. The Letter
• The letter was written in 18, 1894
• It was sent to his grandfather
• Charley has said that , he found the third level and travelled to
Galesburg
• He is enjoying the life there, it was so pleasant and peaceful
• It’s worth trying
• He asks Charley, do not give up searching , one day they will find it.
• Charley is surprised because Sam is not only his friend but also his
psychiatrist.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
16. Long answer type questions
• 1. Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for
Charley? Why?
• 2. What do you infer from Sam’s letter to Charley?
• 3. What strange things did the narrator see when he reached the
third level?
