Intro
There
are 8 key Tarot cards in Sepulchre, each associated
with a particular character or characters. (You can find links to them
in the right nav.)
But don't be deceived – the parallels aren't as straightforward as you might think.
Perhaps you know someone timid. What other words could you use to describe them? Maybe indecisive? That's quite similar. You don't really start to get much more than a cartoonish, 2-dimensional idea of who they are.
So you add some contrast. Timid, indecisive and vengeful.
Suddenly the cartoonish timid and indecisive person leaps out of their box and on to the stage. Timid, indecisive and vengeful. You can't be sure what they are going to do.
Every one of an author's major characters needs depth. (You can get away, I think, with more simply-sketched minor characters.)
And for me, depth comes from the contrasts between the different aspects of your characters' personalities. These contrasts make them unpredictable. Then, the way they act, the way they respond to the events that surround them, is also unpredictable.
Sepulchre is a novel partly inspired by the images in the Tarot. I'm not at all experienced in reading cards – I know the theory better than the practice – but I love the way in which each image offers alternative views of character.
Look at the Magician – the Pagad. Does he achieve his mysteries by magic or by simple sleight of hand?
Look at the Lovers – Les Amoureux. What will they feel when the dart of Eros strikes, pleasure or pain?
