What is there left once you have lost your manliness?

There are two ways to define manhood. One way is to say that manhood is the opposite of womanhood. The other way is is to say that manhood is the opposite of childhood.

In heaven's name be a man, sir! Your pitiful whining sickens me!

All great characters, great icons, in literature are a bit of a riddle, and that's the reason we go back to them over and over.

The beautiful thing is I have sort of grown up. I don't care if I'm highbrow or not anymore.

If you have an extreme character, you need normal characters to contrast them. Sherlock Holmes certainly needed a Dr. Watson. And Pippi Longstocking, who supposedly inspired Lisbeth Salander, needed Tommy and Annika, the normal middle-class neighbors.