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The Third Level Summary Vistas Class 12

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The Third Level Summary Vistas Class 12 – In this post, I am sharing the summary of The Third Level From Vistas Book CBSE Class 12 in English and Hindi. It is important for all those students who are going to appear at the upcoming CBSE Class 12th Board Exams.

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The Third Level Introduction

The Third Level by Jack Finney is about the harsh realities of war. War has irreversible consequences thus leaving people in a state of insecurity. It is also about modern-day problems and how the common man tends to escape reality by various means. In this story, a man named Charley hallucinates and reaches the third level of the Grand Central Station which only has two levels.

The Third Level Theme in English

The third level represents a break from the “full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and all the rest of it” modern world. The 1890s depict a tranquil lifestyle that is not feasible in the present. The main character wants to take his wife Louisa to Galesburg, Illinois, from this point on. While his psychiatrist friend refers to it as a “waking-dream wish fulfilment,” for him, it is a part of reality.

The Third Level Summary Vistas Class 12 (In English)

In Jack Finney’s short story “The Third Level,” Charley, a 31-year-old man, accidentally discovers a hidden third level at New York’s Grand Central Station, which serves as a portal to the year 1894. The story begins with Charley narrating his experience and how, despite the claims of railroad authorities and his psychiatrist, he firmly believes in the existence of this third level, which others dismiss as a fantasy or psychological manifestation of his desire to escape the pressures of modern life.

Charley explains that he first encountered the third level one evening after a long day at work when he decided to take the subway home. As he navigated the familiar corridors of Grand Central, he found himself lost in a new passage that led him downward, eventually opening up into a strange, dimly lit room that looked markedly different from the rest of the station. He realizes that the space feels like it belongs to another time: the gaslights flicker, ticket booths are made of wood, and the people around him are dressed in 19th-century attire. A man with a handlebar mustache and a derby hat checks his pocket watch, and the station is filled with people in old-fashioned clothing. Charley then notices a newspaper on the floor and, upon picking it up, sees that the date is June 11, 1894.

Enchanted by this discovery, Charley realizes he can buy train tickets from this time period and escape to a simpler, more peaceful era. He attempts to purchase tickets to Galesburg, Illinois, a town he fondly remembers from stories of his grandfather’s time, where life seemed idyllic, free from the stress, wars, and uncertainties of the modern world. However, when he tries to pay for the tickets with his current-day currency, the ticket clerk becomes suspicious, calling the money counterfeit. Charley, realizing he can’t stay, quickly flees the station.

Determined to return to the third level and this peaceful past, Charley withdraws his savings and exchanges it for old-style currency. However, despite repeated attempts to find the mysterious corridor that led to the third level, he is unable to do so. His wife Louisa becomes concerned about his obsession, and Charley eventually stops searching. He takes solace in his stamp collection, which he describes as another form of escape from reality.

The story takes a twist when Charley discovers an old first-day cover (a type of envelope sent by collectors with a newly issued stamp) among his grandfather’s collection. This envelope, postmarked July 18, 1894, is addressed to his grandfather but contains a letter from Sam, Charley’s psychiatrist. In the letter, Sam writes that he has found the third level and is now living in Galesburg in 1894. He encourages Charley and Louisa to keep searching for the third level, as it’s worth the effort to find a way back to this peaceful and tranquil time. The story concludes with Charley realizing that Sam, who had once dismissed the third level as a fantasy, has now fully embraced it as a reality and found his own escape from the pressures of modern life.

Finney’s story explores themes of nostalgia, the desire to escape from the harshness of the present, and the notion that time travel or alternate realities can serve as metaphors for psychological retreat. It portrays the contrast between the chaotic, fast-paced world of the present and the seemingly simpler, slower-paced life of the past, reflecting a longing for a time when life felt more secure and harmonious. Ultimately, “The Third Level” blurs the lines between fantasy and reality, leaving the reader to question whether the third level is a real place or a product of Charley’s and Sam’s imaginations, driven by their deep yearning for a more peaceful existence.

The Third Level Summary Vistas Class 12 (Summary in Hindi)

“The Third Level” कहानी में चार्ली नाम का एक व्यक्ति ग्रैंड सेंट्रल स्टेशन के एक रहस्यमय तीसरे स्तर की खोज करता है, जो उसे 1894 के समय में ले जाता है। हालांकि, स्टेशन के अधिकारी और उसका मनोचिकित्सक इस तीसरे स्तर के अस्तित्व को नकारते हैं और इसे चार्ली की मानसिक स्थिति का परिणाम मानते हैं, जो आधुनिक जीवन के तनावों से भागने की उसकी इच्छा को दर्शाता है।

चार्ली बताता है कि एक रात काम से घर लौटते वक्त, वह ग्रैंड सेंट्रल स्टेशन के गलियारों में रास्ता भटक जाता है और अचानक एक पुराने जमाने के स्टेशन पर पहुंच जाता है। यह स्टेशन 1894 का प्रतीत होता है, जहां लोग पुराने फैशन के कपड़े पहने हुए हैं, गैस लाइटें जल रही हैं, और वहां का माहौल पूरी तरह से 19वीं सदी जैसा है। चार्ली को वहां अखबार मिलता है, जिसकी तारीख 11 जून 1894 है। वह समझ जाता है कि वह किसी तरह समय में पीछे चला गया है और अब इस समय में टिकट लेकर एक शांतिपूर्ण जीवन जी सकता है।

चार्ली सोचता है कि वह और उसकी पत्नी लुइसा 1894 के शांत और सुरक्षित जीवन में जाकर बस सकते हैं, और वह उस समय के लिए टिकट खरीदने की कोशिश करता है। लेकिन जब वह आज की मुद्रा से भुगतान करने की कोशिश करता है, तो टिकट क्लर्क उसकी मुद्रा को पहचान नहीं पाता और उसे धोखाधड़ी मान लेता है। चार्ली घबरा कर वहां से भाग जाता है।

चार्ली तीसरे स्तर पर वापस जाने की कोशिश करता है और पुरानी मुद्रा में पैसे बदलवाता है, ताकि वह फिर से टिकट खरीद सके। लेकिन वह दोबारा उस रहस्यमय रास्ते को खोजने में असफल रहता है। उसकी पत्नी लुइसा उसकी इस खोज से परेशान हो जाती है, और वह अंततः अपनी खोज छोड़ देता है। हालांकि, वह अपनी डाक टिकट संग्रह में डूब जाता है, जो उसे वास्तविकता से बचने का एक और तरीका लगता है।

कहानी में अंतिम मोड़ तब आता है जब चार्ली को अपने दादा के डाक टिकट संग्रह में एक पुराना लिफाफा मिलता है, जिसमें उसके दोस्त और मनोचिकित्सक सैम का पत्र होता है। सैम लिखता है कि वह भी तीसरे स्तर को खोज चुका है और अब 1894 के समय में गेल्सबर्ग, इलिनॉइस में रह रहा है। वह चार्ली और लुइसा को भी तीसरे स्तर की खोज जारी रखने के लिए कहता है, क्योंकि यह शांत और सरल जीवन पाने के लिए जरूरी है। कहानी इस बात पर समाप्त होती है कि सैम, जो पहले तीसरे स्तर को काल्पनिक मानता था, अब खुद उस युग में रहने के लिए वहां चला गया है।

सारांश: यह कहानी चार्ली की समय में यात्रा और पुराने समय के शांतिपूर्ण जीवन की चाहत को दर्शाती है। यह आधुनिक जीवन की परेशानियों से बचने की इंसानी इच्छा पर आधारित है और कल्पना और वास्तविकता के बीच की धुंधली रेखाओं की पड़ताल करती है।