Triptych

God, Sex & Psychosis (GSP) presents many questions. Among them, this: How do we develop our sense of self – the perception of our internal image? Within the novel, the protagonists – Egon and Mira – are depicted as exceptionally handsome and beautiful, yet neither is fully described. We only receive glimpses of their physical attributes and attractiveness.

Part 2, Chapter 17, provides a voyeuristic view of Egon’s home and living space, giving additional clues to his eclectic tastes, mental state, and internal chaos. His artistic clutter includes an extensive collection of primitive masks once worn by shamans. Also featured is a wall-mounted triptych of heads – honeybee, ant, wasp – photographed with an electron microscope and enlarged to human scale. This art serves as a metaphor, one of many throughout the book.

As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that both Egon and Mira are dysfunctional. They are two damaged souls struggling to overcome their afflictions and find redemption. In their professional lives, they are intelligent, functional, and attractive yet, internally, their self-image is amorphous and strange, much like these magnified insects in the triptych “with spiky body hair, compound eyes, and fuzzy antennae.”