Probably every living being has asked themselves whether or not they are content with their lives as it has enfolded before them. It's a natural part of life to question the past as one looks into the future, however, there are certain regrets that mark the passing of certain lives that most people would rather not have as a part of their own lives. To many, the need to conform to gender roles and society is such that they will go to any lengths to be considered 'normal' - including going outside the bounds of normalcy to do so. Others will conform regardless of their own wishes. In The Sun Also Rises, the former would apply to the male protagonist while in The Age Of Innocence the latter is true.
             On the surface, it seems that the male protagonists in Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises and Edith Wharton's The Age Of Innocence are extremely different. Hemingway's Jake Barnes is a man who at one time was very much a 'Hemingway Hero' or a 'man's man': steeped in the masculine pursuits of adventure, women and a life of pleasure. Newland Archer, the protagonist of Wharton's Age of Innocence, is a hopeless romantic. His strengths lie in his sense of deep feeling and commitment to what his heart leads him to believe.
             Both men defy social convention by falling in love with strong willed women that are outside of the socially accepted role of feminine decorum. Both men have platonic relationships with these women - even though Jake is committed to Brett, he is unable to 'perform his masculine duties' because of a war injury. Newland, on the other hand, has fallen for a married woman who wants to defy tradition by seeking a divorce. She is the cousin of the woman he is about to marry, making the relationship even more unaccessable.
             Jake is seen as a 'cripple' because of his inability to complete the sexual act, because he is hopelessly in love with a promiscuous female and because of the strong support he provides for...