[sham]

i'm doing an IOP (independent oral presentation) on archetypes based on of mice and men, more specifically, on femme fatales and outcasts. the thing is, i don't quite understand what an archetype is. it's a recurring pattern, correct? but does it recur in only that one novel or is it just saying that it's like a recurring theme in literature?

do i just talk about the femme fatale in of mice and men or across literature?