The Third Level Themes

In “The Third Level,” Jack Finney uses time travel to explore the melancholy of modern life and the common desire to return to simpler times. The story’s protagonist, Charley, is exhausted by life in the mid-20th century, and his generation is especially traumatized from living through both World Wars. He expresses envy of those older than him, such as his grandfather, who he believes was a happier person because he grew up in a…

“The Third Level” explores the idea of physical and mental escapism in the face of societal ennui and emotional dissatisfaction. When the protagonist, Charley, discovers a way to time travel to the past via a hidden third level of Grand Central Station, his psychiatrist, Sam, tells him that what he’s experiencing is a waking dream caused by his desire to escape modern life. While Charley does not agree that the third level is…

One of the subtler themes of “The Third Level” is the enormous trauma suffered by American society in the aftermath of both World War I and World War II. The story was published in 1950, which was only a few decades after World War I and a mere five years after World War II. Throughout the story, the protagonist, Charley, laments the anxiety of modern society and yearns for a simpler time when the…