The Tarot Cards in The Ex Hex: Foreshadowing and the Characters' Past, Present, and Future
The Tarot Deck as a Recurring Symbol
In The Ex Hex, tarot cards function as more than a divination tool; they are a narrative device that mirrors the characters' emotional states and foreshadows plot turns. The deck itself is a handmade creation by Vivi's cousin Gwyn, who has painted the cards for years, giving each figure a personal, recognizable face. This personalization makes the readings feel intimate and grounded in the characters' world, while also allowing the cards to comment on the story's central relationships and conflicts.
The cards first appear in Chapter 4, when Gwyn and Vivi perform a "real-deal kind of witchy" reading to determine whether Rhys Penhallow will return to Graves Glen. Gwyn's deck is described as glowing with color, and the figures are modeled on real people: The Magician wears Aunt Elaine's calm face, The Fool is unmistakably Rhys, and The Star is clearly Vivi. This casting of characters onto the cards establishes a direct symbolic link between the tarot archetypes and the novel's protagonists, making each reading a commentary on their past, present, and future.
The First Reading: Foreshadowing Rhys's Return
The initial reading in Chapter 4 is a simple test: if The Magician appears in the first three cards, bad luck is coming. Vivi turns over The Fool first—a man at the edge of a cliff, one foot lifted, wearing Rhys's face and unbuttoned shirt. Gwyn admits she painted him that way because "he just leapt to mind," and Vivi acknowledges that The Fool is about risks and chances, "leaping without looking." The second card is The Magician, modeled on Elaine, which Gwyn interprets as confirmation that "they are sending him." The remaining three cards—The Star, The Tower, and The Moon—paint a vivid picture of what is to come: The Star shows Vivi standing on a desk in a polka dot dress, holding an apple and a glowing orb; The Tower depicts Elaine's cabin with a massive crack and half the house sliding off a cliff; and The Moon is a werewolf, which Gwyn defends as her artistic vision.
This reading does more than predict Rhys's arrival; it establishes the symbolic vocabulary for the rest of the novel. The Fool immediately associates Rhys with recklessness and impulsive action, a trait that Vivi later reflects on when she thinks, "He'd always be reckless, always leap without looking." The Star, with Vivi's image, suggests her steadiness and potential for growth, while The Tower foreshadows the literal destruction of Elaine's cabin during the climax, and The Moon hints at hidden dangers and the supernatural chaos that follows. The reading also introduces the idea that the cards are not just passive predictions but active agents in the characters' understanding of their situation—Vivi and Gwyn treat the results as serious information, even as they try to dismiss them as coincidence.
The Second Reading: Past, Present, and Future
The second major reading occurs in Chapter 26, when Gwyn offers to read for Rhys at the Fall Fair. This time, the spread is explicitly structured as "simple past, present, future." Rhys pulls The Lovers for his past, which Vivi notes is "not a surprise," given their history. The present card is The Star—Vivi's card—which Rhys holds up with a smile, calling it "a good sign." The future card, however, is The Emperor, which Gwyn describes as representing "authority, rules, structure." Rhys immediately identifies it as his father, and indeed, Simon Penhallow appears in the crowd moments later.
This reading deepens the symbolic meaning of the cards. The Lovers in the past position acknowledges the romantic connection that defined Rhys and Vivi's earlier relationship, while The Star in the present reinforces Vivi's role as a stabilizing, hopeful presence in Rhys's life. The Emperor, however, introduces a new layer: it is not just a generic archetype but a specific, personal figure—Simon Penhallow, the authoritarian patriarch whose expectations and legacy drive much of the plot. The card's imagery—a man in a dark suit on a wooden throne, with silver in his beard and a heavy ebony cane—matches Simon's imposing presence, and its appearance in the future position foreshadows his direct interference in the couple's plans. The reading thus serves as a compact summary of the novel's central tensions: love, duty, and the weight of family expectations.
The Fool and The Star: Reinterpreting the Cards
The most significant evolution of the tarot symbolism occurs in Chapter 35, when Vivi reinterprets The Fool and The Star in light of her reconciliation with Rhys. Earlier, she had seen these cards as evidence that she and Rhys were "doomed from the start"—The Fool representing his recklessness, The Star her serenity, opposites that could not coexist. But after Rhys moves to Graves Glen and declares his love, Vivi realizes that "the image, a person walking merrily off a cliff, wasn't necessarily about being reckless. It was about taking a leap and trusting something—someone—would catch you." She then thinks, "The Fool and The Star, just like Gwyn's cards had shown. Leaping off cliffs and shining steadily, opposites who couldn't live without each other."
This reinterpretation is central to the novel's theme of rekindled love and second chances. The cards do not change; the characters' understanding of them does. Vivi's initial reading of The Fool as purely negative reflects her own fear of vulnerability and her belief that Rhys is incapable of commitment. By the end, she sees the same card as an invitation to trust, and she applies that trust to herself as well, admitting, "maybe she was, too" a Fool. The Star, which she had associated with her own steadiness, becomes a symbol of the constancy she and Rhys can offer each other. This shift demonstrates how the tarot functions as a mirror for the characters' internal growth rather than a fixed prophecy.
The Emperor and The Magician: Authority and Guidance
The Emperor and The Magician represent two opposing forces in the novel: patriarchal authority and maternal guidance. The Emperor, as embodied by Simon Penhallow, is associated with rules, structure, and the weight of family legacy. His appearance in the reading foreshadows his arrival and his attempt to control Rhys's actions, reinforcing the theme of family legacy and ancestral responsibility. The Magician, on the other hand, is modeled on Aunt Elaine, who is a skilled and confident witch. In the first reading, The Magician's appearance signals that Rhys is coming, but it also suggests that Elaine's wisdom and power will be crucial to navigating the ensuing chaos. Elaine's role as a mentor and protector aligns with the Magician's archetype of manifesting one's will and using knowledge to shape reality. The contrast between these two cards highlights the novel's tension between rigid tradition and flexible, intuitive magic, a theme explored further in tradition vs. modernity.
The Tarot as a Tool for Self-Discovery
Beyond foreshadowing, the tarot readings serve as moments of self-reflection for Vivi. In Chapter 4, she feels a pang of envy watching Gwyn's connection to her craft, noting that she has never felt the same ease with magic. The cards themselves become a symbol of that disconnect—Gwyn's art is an extension of her identity, while Vivi's relationship with magic is more hesitant. This ties into the theme of self-discovery and reclaiming power, as Vivi gradually learns to trust her own abilities, culminating in her powerful magical feat at the novel's climax. The tarot readings also reinforce the theme of unintended consequences of magic, as the playful curse from the prologue has far-reaching effects that the cards only hint at. The cards do not cause these consequences, but they provide a framework for the characters to interpret and respond to them.
Study Questions
1. How does Gwyn's handmade tarot deck personalize the symbolism of the cards?
Gwyn paints each card with the faces of people she knows, so The Fool is Rhys, The Magician is Elaine, and The Star is Vivi. This personalization makes the readings feel directly relevant to the characters' lives and allows the cards to comment on their specific relationships and traits. For example, Rhys's depiction as The Fool immediately associates him with risk-taking, while Elaine's portrayal as The Magician underscores her magical authority. The deck thus becomes a tool for the characters to see themselves and each other more clearly.
2. What does The Emperor card reveal about Rhys's relationship with his father?
When Rhys pulls The Emperor in the future position, he immediately identifies it as his father, Simon. The card's imagery—a stern man on a wooden throne with a cane—mirrors Simon's authoritarian presence. The reading foreshadows Simon's arrival at the fair and his attempt to control Rhys's actions. The Emperor represents the weight of family duty and expectation, which Rhys has struggled against throughout the novel. The card's appearance in the future position suggests that these pressures will continue to shape Rhys's choices, even as he tries to forge his own path.
3. How does Vivi's interpretation of The Fool change from the beginning to the end of the novel?
Initially, Vivi sees The Fool as a symbol of Rhys's recklessness and their incompatibility, thinking they are "doomed from the start." By the end, she reinterprets the card as representing a leap of faith—trusting that someone will catch you. This change reflects her own growth in trusting Rhys and herself. The card itself does not change; rather, Vivi's understanding of risk and commitment evolves, allowing her to embrace a future with Rhys.
4. In what ways do the tarot readings foreshadow major plot events?
The first reading predicts Rhys's return (The Magician), the destruction of Elaine's cabin (The Tower), and the presence of hidden dangers (The Moon). The second reading foreshadows Simon's arrival (The Emperor) and reinforces the romantic connection between Rhys and Vivi (The Lovers and The Star). These predictions are not always literal—The Moon as a werewolf is more symbolic than actual—but they set up the novel's major conflicts and resolutions, giving readers a framework for understanding the characters' journeys.