Q Do you think the third …

In reality the Third Level is the creation of Charley's own mind, fantasy and whim. He is inhabiting in the modern world which is full of insecurity, fear, war, worries, stress and tension. He has to confront with them round the clock. The harsh realities of life are making our stay unpleasant and unbearable. There is a mental tension which is transforming our lives burdensome and heavy. Charley has an escapist mind. Even stamps collecting is a temporary refuge from reality. So he talks to his psychiatrist friend Sam about the third level at the Grand Central Station. He terms it as a “ waking-dream wish fulfilment.”
In this lesson even the writer Jack Finney interweaves Charley in the midst of fantasy and reality. The compulsions and realities of modern life make Charley escape into a world of fancy and romance. There is a refererence to his grand father's stamp collection of 1894 in the lesson. In those days there was peace as well as tranquility. So there was no need for escape. For Charley the Grand Central is an exit and he wanders down to the third level and finds himself into the world of 1894 which used to be a romantic living. So the Third Level is indirectly a mode of escape for Charley.

The fears, anxieties and insecurities of the modem world are taking a toll on man’s mind. He feels helpless and frustrated and seeks temporary respite from life’s harsh realities. Charley too was unable to cope up with his fastpaced and stressful life so his flight to the third level was undoubtedly a medium of escape for him. It is nothing but a creation of Charley’s own mind. He wants to escape from the modern world’s insecurity, fear, worries and stress and so seeks an exit, a medium to get away into the world of dreams and fancies.