Inasmuch as the quest and trials of the hero can be seen as metaphors for our own lives, the femme fatale is an embodiment of the strength of the obsessions that can prevent us from achieving our goals.

The fact that the femme fatale is so often used in this context points to the dominance of a male-oriented perspective in world mythology. The mythologies we know are primarily those of patriarchal cultures, which have traditionally equated women and sex with desire, but also with great danger.