Edna Pontellier embarking on her journey of self discovery. Temperance usually represents harmony and encourages one to live in "the middle of the road", which is how Edna had existed prior to experiencing her awakening. In reverse, Temperance represents disharmony, impatience, and imbalance especially in romantic relationships.
This is how I pictured the narrator of the story, just chilling by himself after his friend has left and he doesn't really have anyone else to confide in. I took some artistic liberties with the red "solo" cup and the "no running" sign. The Cups suite often represents new beginnings, which the narrator is forced to recognize in this coming of age story.
The narrator doesn't *actually* get a cherry slurpee in the short story, but I thought it was such an iconic power move I wanted to include it in the tarot card. The white clerk handing the indigenous narrator a symbol of American-ness felt kinda ironic. When reversed, Two of Cups represents distrust and disharmony.
I took a lot of the meaning for this card from Mrs. Das, who confesses infidelity and a bastard child to her cab driver. When drawn upright Nine of Swords symbolizes anxiety and fear, and when reversed symbolizes inner turmoil, secrets, and releasing worry. I decided to draw one of the monkeys from the last scene eating Mrs. Das' puffed rice in front of a historical ruin, mostly just because I wanted to draw a monkey.
I drew Marie and Emil here as The Lovers. This one's pretty self explanatory. When drawn upright, it symbolizes falling in love. In reverse, The Lovers symbolizes infidelity and separation.
Paul infamously steals a huge sum of money and blows it on a week of hyper indulgent living. I decided to use pentacles in the Louis Vuitton-esque trunks (which is I'd assume the only brand Paul would settle for), and added the Tiffany's bag since that was one he cared enough to name-drop. When drawn upright, the Five of Pentacles represents financial loss, lack mindset, and worry. In reverse, it symbolizes spiritual poverty. In the end, I think it's safe to say Paul got both.
I feel like this one is also pretty self explanatory, but I really thought about one scene in particular when I chose Judgment. When drawn in reverse this card symbolizes poor/hasty logic and judgment, which I think really describes Bigger's decision to dismember and burn Mary's body (and then forget to clean out the furnace).
The Empress is a very maternal card, which I think symbolizes Rose well. She takes on the motherly role for 3 children, two of which aren't biologically her own. She's a queen and ultimately deserved better imo.
