The White Scarf Symbol Analysis

During the Siege of Arras, the Count de Guiche tells his troops that he wears a white scarf on his uniform so that everyone can recognize that he’s a nobleman. And yet when de Guiche enters battle, he takes off his insignia, for fear that it will make him an easier target for enemy combatants. Humorously, we learn that Cyrano de Bergerac then takes this scarf from across enemy lines and wears it himself during the battle, even though doing so endangers his life. The white scarf is thus a clear symbol of “panache”—indeed, the word “panache” originally referred to the plumes that commanders wore in battle, and particularly the white plume (like de Guiche’s white scarf) warn into battle by the famous French monarch Henry IV. Cyrano, who chooses to live his life boldly, bravely, and flamboyantly, naturally takes the scarf for himself, not worrying about his own safety—and also flaunting the fact that he doesn’t worry about his own safety—and then mockingly returns the scarf to de Guiche after the battle. Panache is a difficult way to live one’s life, and most people—the Count included—can’t handle it.