NCERT Solutions For Class 12 English
Vistas
Chapter 1 – The Third
Level
Summary
In New York, the Grand Central Station has two levels. Nonetheless,
Charley a 31-year-old city resident talks that there exists a third level.
Also, he claims that he has been there. To talk about this problem he visits a
psychiatrist friend. He calls it a “walking-dream wish fulfilment” and explains
Charley’s psychology by saying that “the modern world is full of fear,
insecurity, war, and worry…..” and everybody wants to escape to some “temporary
refuge from reality.” As for him, hobbies like stamp collection is an indicator
of this escape.At times the Grand Central Station seems like a maze to Charley.
While taking the subway earlier he had lost his way a couple of times. One time
he entered the lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel. While the other time he appeared
at an office building that was three blocks away. However, this time he loses
his way and something unique occurs. Charley visits the third level!
In the silent hallway, Charley keeps walking, turning left, and sloping
downward, until he touches an architecturally old station, which is totally
different from the two familiar levels. Moreover, this old small room with
fewer ticket counters and train gates, a wooden information booth, wavering
open flame gas lights and brass spittoons. All this remind him of the
architecture of the 1800s. Further, he sees people in outdated outfits. When he
noticed the date in the newspaper ‘The World’ he sees 11 June 1894. When he
tries to buy two tickets, he realizes that he needs old currency.
He always wanted to travel to Galesburg with his wife, Louisa. Back in
his head, it is “a wonderful town still, with big old frame houses, huge lawns,
and tremendous trees….” The place has pleasant and long summer dusks and where
people have ample of time. Hence, the next day during lunch, he exchanges three
hundred dollars for old currency amounting to some two hundred only. In
addition, the amount doesn’t bother him as he believes that everything there
will be cheaper. However, he could never again find the corridor that leads him
to the third level.
When
her wife came to know about this she asks him to stop looking. Unexpectedly,
his friend Sam Weiner also disappear and his wife keeps on looking for him for
in the weekends. Moreover, Sam was the one whom Charley shares his idea about
Galesburg.
Charley
inherited the hobby of stamp collection from his grandfather. And someday while
looking at the stamp collection, Charley finds a letter that was earlier not
there. Also, it has the postmark on a faded six-cent stamp with a picture of
President Garfield. Further, the envelop read as 18 July 1894 to Charley’s
grandfather in Galesburg and it addresses Charley.
In
the letter, Sam tells Charley that he has reached Galesburg and he invites
Charley and Louisa there. After going to stamp and coin shop he gets to know
that Sam exchange eight hundred dollars for old currency bills to establish his
business in Galesburg. Besides, Sam was none other than Charley’s psychiatrist!
Through the third level, the writer wants to escape from the modern
world to peaceful and quite old times.
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