Biblical Masculinity

Steven gave a great talk on Biblical Masculinity during the regional conference this past weekend.  Despite hearing much of it in Noblemen before, I loved being reminded of principles I either forgot or are still working through.

He talked about how God created Adam and gave him the purpose of honoring/obeying Him.  In addition to the command to not eat from the tree, God gave Adam two tasks: Tend the garden, and protect the women.  He failed at both.  The serpant was a creature Adam was given authority over, and Adam stood and watched as the serpant subverted God's command and God's natrual creation order.  Adam should have put the serpant back in line, but instead remained silent. 

Secondly, and the issue I've been putting a lot of thought to lately, is how Adam should have protected the woman in this situation.  C.S. Lewis in his scifi book Perleandra seems to think Adam should have simply killed the snake, or else even if Eve had said "no" to eating from the tree, the snake would tempt her again the next day, and the next, and the next...  

What does it look like practically for a husband to protect his wife?  Where is the line between guarding her vs. allowing God to use pain and hardships as an instrument for refinement?