The document discusses the short story "The Third Level" by Jack Finney. It introduces the main character Charley, who claims to have discovered a third underground level at Grand Central Station in New York City that transports him to the year 1894. Charley is fascinated by the simpler time period and wants to escape his modern life. He struggles to find the third level again and becomes convinced it was real after finding a letter that was seemingly sent to him from his friend Sam, who also discovered the third level.

1. Prepared & Presented by
Jude Joseph
PGT English
KVS

2. JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

3. • was the author of 10 novels as well as short stories and plays
• specialized in thrillers and works of science fiction.
• his fame rested on 2 novels
- The Body Snatchers (1955)
- Time and Again (1970)
• was born in Milwaukee, USA
• attended Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.
• moved to New York & worked in the advertising industry.
• he then began writing stories for popular magazines
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

4. • a chilling tale of
aliens who emerge
from pods in the guise
of humans whom they
have taken over.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

5. • T h e n o v e l , a b o u t a n
advertising artist who travels
back to the New York of the
1880s
• It quickly became a cult favorite
• beloved especially by New
Y o r k e r s f o r i t s r i c h ,
painstakingly researched
descriptions of life in the city
more than a century ago.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

6. The Third Level
• Mr. Finney first showed an interest in time travel
in the short-story collection The Third Level
• This included stories about
– a commuter who discovers a train that runs between
New York and the year 1894
&
– a man who rebuilds an old car and finds himself
transported back to the 1920s.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

7. Summary of The Third Level
• Main Characters -
– Charley, 31 years old
–Louisa - Charley's wife
–Sam - Charley's friend & a psychiatrist
• Setting - Grand Central Station, New York
• Grand Central Station of New York has two levels.
• Charley claims that he wandered into the third
level & he firmly believes it
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

8. • is a commuter rail terminal located in Midtown Manhattan,
New York City.
• Opened in 1913
• Grand Central covers 48 acres (19 ha) and has 44 platforms
• Its platforms, all below ground, serve 30 tracks on the upper
level and 26 on the lower.
• Grand Central Terminal contains a variety of stores and food
vendors, including a food court on its lower-level concourse.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

9. JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

10. A visit to his psychiatrist friend
• Charley visits a psychiatrist friend to talk about this
problem.
• The psychiatrist calls it a “waking-dream wish
fulfillment” and rationalises Charley's psychology by
saying that the “modern world is full of insecurity,
fear, worry, and war...” and everybody wants to
escape to some “temporary refuge from reality.”
• According to him, even hobbies like stamp
collection is a manifestation of this escape.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

11. • 32nd President (1933-1945)
• 4 terms as President
• The only U.S. President to serve for
more than two terms
• Revived the US economy during the
Great Depression
• Led his country successfully in the
World War II
• He was also interested in stamp
collection.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

12. “...I was wearing a tan gabardine suit & a straw hat with a
fancy band;.....”
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

13. THE STRANGE INCIDENT
Charley, late from
office
wanted to take subway
from Grand Central
Station
walked down
corridor steps
went down to the
first level
entered from
Vanderbilt Avenue
passed through
arched doorway
entered the
second level
Reached third
level
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

14. Charley loses his way at Grand Central
The fast growing Grand Central station at times
seems to be a maze to Charley. He had lost his
way a couple of times earlier too while taking
the subway. Once, he entered the lobby of the
Roosevelt Hotel while the other time he
emerged at an office building that was three
blocks away. But this time when he loses his
way & reaches the third level.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

15. JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

16. FEATURES OF THIRD LEVEL
• smaller rooms, fewer ticket windows and train gates,
wooden information booth
• open-flame gaslights, brass spittoons
• men - old-fashion dresses, large, fancy mustache, beards,
sideburns
• women wore dress with leg-of-mutton sleeves, skirts, high-
buttoned shoes
• old locomotive - Currier & Ives
• newspaper - 'The World', dated 11 June 1894 -lead story -
President Cleveland.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

17. v was an American
politician and lawyer who
was the 22nd and 24th
president of the United
States
vthe only president in
American history to serve
two non-consecutive terms
in office (1885–1889 and
1893–1897)
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

18. Handlebar Mustache
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

19. Styles of mustaches & sideburns in USA in 1890s
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

20. Lapel A man wearing a
derby/bowler hat
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

21. JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

22. Leg-of-mutton
sleeves
Long skirts
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

23. High-buttoned shoes
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

24. CHARLEY’S DESIRE TO GO TO GALESBURG, ILLINOIS
• Galesburg - a peaceful, tranquil place, natural
• wished to buy two tickets
• currency not appropriate - disappointed
• next day, exchanged currency - 300 dollars bought less
than 200 dollars in old-style bills
• The loss doesn’t bother him much as he believes that
in Galesburg everything will be cheaper and that he
can manage even with a small amount. But, he could
never again find the corridor leading to the third level.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

25. Galesburg, Illinois, USA

26. Sam goes missing!
• Louisa is worried after knowing all this and asks him not
to look for the third level any further.
• Suddenly Charley realises that his friend, Sam Weiner, is
nowhere to be found.
• Charley and his wife keep looking for the third level in the
weekends.
• Sam was the one with whom Charley used to share his
ideas about Galesburg.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

27. ANOTHER STRANGE EXPERIENCE
• Louisa and Charley - one night - found old first-day
cover mailed to grandfather at his home in
Galesburg - dated 18th July 1894, had 6-cent
stamp, picture of President Garfield on stamp - did
not have blank paper inside but a letter addressed
to Charley.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

28. • An envelope, postal card, etc., bearing a newly issued
stamp and a postmark for the first day the stamp was
issued
• The stamp collectors buy & mail the envelpoes bearing
stamps to themselves on the 1st day of sale. The
envelope is called first-day cover
• They are never opened & a blank paper is put in them.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

29. Ø was the 20th president
of the United States
Ø was assassinated in
1881
Ø He is the only sitting
member of the United
States House of
Representatives to be
elected to the
presidency.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

30. THE LETTER
• Sam had found third level. Someone was playing the
piano, all were on front porch - singing ‘Seeing Nelly
Home’ - had been invited for lemonade
• urged Louisa & Charley to find third level - was worth it
CHARLEY CONCLUDES
• seemed Sam had exchanged money to set up hay, feed
and grain business
• Sam was leading a simple life and enjoying the tranquility
of Galesburg
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

31. Analysis
• The story clearly explores the concept of time travel. Jack
Finney explores the mentality of a common man. He
succeeds in exposing the vulnerable side of a common man.
• What stands out in the entire story is the extent of ease with
which Jack Finney was able to bring out a common man’s
craving for peace and security. Like any common man,
Charlie too appreciated the so-called ‘pleasures’ of
everyday life and the security of the familiar.
• He wanted to stay in the past because 1894 was much
more peaceful, secure, serene.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

32. Analysis
• The world in 1894 hadn’t seen the repercussions of
war. The insecurities that came with war, terror, and
disease had gotten the better of common folks like
Charlie who wanted a transient relief from the
harsh realities of life.
• All in all, The Third Level brings us to the
conclusion that people find it hard to make peace
with unpleasant things they come across in life.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

34. Meaning of 'downtown' & 'uptown'
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS
Downtown Uptown
in or to the business or
central or urban part of a city
of, in, or characteristic of the
residential area of a town or
city.
eg. downtown Los Angeles eg. ‘uptown Manhattan’

35. is the name of three thoroughfares in the New
York City boroughs of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and
Staten Island.
They were named after Cornelius Vanderbilt
(1794–1877), an American business magnet.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

36. Twentieth Century
• The 20th Century Limited
was an express passenger
train on the New York
Central Railroad (NYC) from
1902 to 1967.
• The train travelled between
Grand Central Terminal
(GCT) in New York City and
LaSalle Street Station in
Chicago, Illinois.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

37. Train named Twentieth Century
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

38. Times Square
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

39. Times Square
• a major commercial intersection, tourist destination,
entertainment center
• Brightly adorned with billboards and advertisements
• Situated in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City
• Times Square was renamed in 1904 after The New York Times
moved its headquarters to the then newly erected Times
Building
• Times Square – the site of the annual New Year's Eve ball
drop which began on December 31, 1907, and continues today,
attracting over a million visitors to Times Square every year
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

40. JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

41. Central Park
• Central Park is an urban
park in Manhattan, New
York City
• Central Park is the most
visited urban park in the
United States
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

42. • It covers 843 acres
• The park's first areas
were opened to the
public in late 1858
• The park was
completed in 1873
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

43. Thank you