--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Second World War was over - and there…" description: "\"“The Second World War was over - and there I was at high noon, crossing Times Square with a Purple Heart on.”\" — Eliot Rosewater" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/eliot-rosewater-235236_purple-heart_the-second-world-war-was-over-and-there_1677796.jpg" --- # The Second World War was over - and there I was at high… ![“The Second World War was over - and there I was at high noon, crossing Times Square with a Purple Heart on.” quote by Eliot Rosewater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/eliot-rosewater-235236_purple-heart_the-second-world-war-was-over-and-there_1677796.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/eliot-rosewater-235236_purple-heart_the-second-world-war-was-over-and-there_1677796.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/eliot-rosewater-235236_purple-heart_the-second-world-war-was-over-and-there_1677796.jpg) > ““The Second World War was over - and there I was at high noon, crossing Times Square with a Purple Heart on.”” [Eliot Rosewater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-rosewater/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator describes a surreal moment at high noon in Times Square, juxtaposing war symbolism with personal experience. **In simple terms:** A surreal wartime scene at high noon in Times Square. Key Takeaway Reflect on personal narratives in historic contexts. Themes war history personal narrative surrealism Mood reflective poetic Type Purple heart:1 Second world war:1 Times square:1 War:1 World war:1 High Noon:1 Noon Crossing:1 Crossing Times:1 War High:1 When to use this quote - military remembrance - urban exploration - personal storytelling - historical reflection Key Concepts symbolism memory identity Questions to Reflect On - What does the Purple Heart symbolize for you? - How does setting affect narrative tone? A Different Perspective The quote mixes fictional and real elements ambiguously. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crossing Times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crossing-times-925615/) [High Noon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-noon-862278/) [Noon Crossing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noon-crossing-925614/) [Purple heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purple-heart/) [Second world war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/second-world-war/) [Times square](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/times-square/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-high-925616/) [World war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war/) ## Related quotes > [The price of war is very high.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoav-gallant/the-price-of-war-is-very-high/) [Yoav Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoav-gallant/) > [There is no comparing the brutality and cynicism of today's pop culture with that of forty years ago: from High Noon to Robocop is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/there-is-no-comparing-the-brutality-and-cynicism-of-today-s-pop/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“In the case of the movie High Noon, it is obvious that the viewers are not held by their intrinsic interest in the history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-l-lowry/in-the-case-of-the-movie-high-noon-it-is-obvious-that-the-viewers-are/) [Eugene L. Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-l-lowry/) > [“We commit our crimes at night and reveal ourselves in the high noon of studio lights.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-commit-our-crimes-at-night-and-reveal-ourselves-in-the-high-noon/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [In firing his gun, John Brown has merely told what time of day it is. It is high noon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lloyd-garrison/in-firing-his-gun-john-brown-has-merely-told-what-time-of-day-it-is/) [William Lloyd Garrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lloyd-garrison/) > [High Noon is a pretty corny movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duvall/high-noon-is-a-pretty-corny-movie/) [Robert Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duvall/) > [“Charles had perished in Italy, like hundreds of other Japanese-Americans in the 442nd Infantry Regiment, which became known as the Purple Heart Battalion due…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/charles-had-perished-in-italy-like-hundreds-of-other-japanese/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [I always wanted to get the Purple Heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-always-wanted-to-get-the-purple-heart/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“another month, another year, another smile, another tear, another winter, and another summer too,but there will never be another US together It's time we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/purpleholic/another-month-another-year-another-smile-another-tear-another-winter/) [Purpleholic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/purpleholic/) > [So, Wesley Clark is running for president. Pretty amazing guy. Four star general, first in his class at West Point, supreme commander of NATO,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/so-wesley-clark-is-running-for-president-pretty-amazing-guy-four-star/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [“They Served ...reliving memories that will not die giving their all for you and I - friends taken lives shaken...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muse/they-served-reliving-memories-that-will-not-die-giving-their-all-for/) [Muse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muse/) > [“Him! Him! Captain Eliot Rosewater–Silver Star, Bronze Star, Soldier's Medal, and Purple Heart with Cluster! Sailing champion! Ski champion! Him! Him! My God–the number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/him-him-captain-eliot-rosewater-silver-star-bronze-star-soldier-s/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [We didn't have a strong drug scene by any means. Originally, it was just purple hearts, amphetamines, speed or whatever you want to call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-wooler/we-didn-t-have-a-strong-drug-scene-by-any-means-originally-it-was/) [Bob Wooler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-wooler/) > [Men with purple hearts carry silver guns and they will kill a man for what his father has done. But what my father did,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/men-with-purple-hearts-carry-silver-guns-and-they-will-kill-a-man-for/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [“If they give the purple heart for soldiers, I guess they could give me the blue ball medal for the testament of willpower I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-bloom/if-they-give-the-purple-heart-for-soldiers-i-guess-they-could-give-me/) [Penelope Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-bloom/) ## More Purple heart quotes > [“If they give the purple heart for soldiers, I guess they could give me the blue ball medal for the testament of willpower I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-bloom/if-they-give-the-purple-heart-for-soldiers-i-guess-they-could-give-me/) [Penelope Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-bloom/) > [Men with purple hearts carry silver guns and they will kill a man for what his father has done. But what my father did,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/men-with-purple-hearts-carry-silver-guns-and-they-will-kill-a-man-for/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [We didn't have a strong drug scene by any means. Originally, it was just purple hearts, amphetamines, speed or whatever you want to call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-wooler/we-didn-t-have-a-strong-drug-scene-by-any-means-originally-it-was/) [Bob Wooler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-wooler/) > [“Him! Him! Captain Eliot Rosewater–Silver Star, Bronze Star, Soldier's Medal, and Purple Heart with Cluster! Sailing champion! Ski champion! Him! Him! My God–the number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/him-him-captain-eliot-rosewater-silver-star-bronze-star-soldier-s/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“They Served ...reliving memories that will not die giving their all for you and I - friends taken lives shaken...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muse/they-served-reliving-memories-that-will-not-die-giving-their-all-for/) [Muse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muse/) > [So, Wesley Clark is running for president. Pretty amazing guy. Four star general, first in his class at West Point, supreme commander of NATO,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/so-wesley-clark-is-running-for-president-pretty-amazing-guy-four-star/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [“another month, another year, another smile, another tear, another winter, and another summer too,but there will never be another US together It's time we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/purpleholic/another-month-another-year-another-smile-another-tear-another-winter/) [Purpleholic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/purpleholic/) > [I always wanted to get the Purple Heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-always-wanted-to-get-the-purple-heart/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“Charles had perished in Italy, like hundreds of other Japanese-Americans in the 442nd Infantry Regiment, which became known as the Purple Heart Battalion due…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/charles-had-perished-in-italy-like-hundreds-of-other-japanese/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [I served two tours of duty in Vietnam. I won the Bronze Star. I won the Purple Heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-kovic/i-served-two-tours-of-duty-in-vietnam-i-won-the-bronze-star-i-won-the/) [Ron Kovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-kovic/) > [“Everybody says you have to decide between the head and the heart, but that’s just so much bullshit. Your heart and your head don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-harper/everybody-says-you-have-to-decide-between-the-head-and-the-heart-but/) [Dani Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-harper/) > [Mannnn I got a fruit loop Chevy, follow me on 24's, lucky charm Cutlass, green diamonds purple hearts hoe, James Bond's car, Drizzle is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-dro/mannnn-i-got-a-fruit-loop-chevy-follow-me-on-24-s-lucky-charm-cutlass/) [Young Dro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-dro/) > [Goddamn it, you'll never get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole! Follow me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-pierson-crowe/goddamn-it-you-ll-never-get-the-purple-heart-hiding-in-a-foxhole/) [Henry Pierson Crowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-pierson-crowe/) > [“I wear the word victim like a badge of honor — my own purple heart. I see what others do more than I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-e-demuth/i-wear-the-word-victim-like-a-badge-of-honor-my-own-purple-heart-i/) [Mary E. DeMuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-e-demuth/) > [My grandpa was a World War II paratrooper, my uncle a Vietnam Purple Heart recipient, my cousins both Marine Corps officers. I have some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/my-grandpa-was-a-world-war-ii-paratrooper-my-uncle-a-vietnam-purple/) [Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/) [Browse all 29 Purple heart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purple-heart/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The Second World War was over - and there I was at high noon, crossing Times Square with a Purple Heart on.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eliot Rosewater" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-rosewater/the-second-world-war-was-over-and-there-i-was-at-high-noon-crossing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Purple heart" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-rosewater/the-second-world-war-was-over-and-there-i-was-at-high-noon-crossing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/eliot-rosewater-235236_purple-heart_the-second-world-war-was-over-and-there_1677796.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/eliot-rosewater-235236_purple-heart_the-second-world-war-was-over-and-there_1677796.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/eliot-rosewater-235236_purple-heart_the-second-world-war-was-over-and-there_1677796.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Second World War was over - and there I was at high noon, crossing Times Square with a Purple Heart on.” — Eliot Rosewater", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Eliot Rosewater", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-rosewater/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The Second World War was over...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-rosewater/the-second-world-war-was-over-and-there-i-was-at-high-noon-crossing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-rosewater/the-second-world-war-was-over-and-there-i-was-at-high-noon-crossing/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```