Catherine Barkley: Stereotypical Female? Or Preeminent Figure?

     Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms is more than just a tale of war.  It depicts, love, loss... and feminist stereotypes?  Or is Hemingway actually creating ideal female figures.  A good example of both would seem to be Catherine Barkley, the nurse-in-training whom narrator Frederic Henry takes a love interest in.
     At first the relationship between Henry and Barkley is a bit skewed and flirtatious, but Barkley knows where to draw the line: "She had slapped my face hard" (26, after Frederic tried to kiss her).  Actually, Barkley seems to be the one in control of the whole scenario, dictating when to actually appear intimate with Frederic and when not to.  In this way, she represents a new breed of female: overbearing, controlling, dominating, and yet still having that air of promiscuity. 
     Barkley's occupation and traits present an interesting contrast at the start.  Her job as a nurse may have been regarded as stereotypical (given the era and setting), but her attitude and general personality are far more "revolutionary" and distinct.  In addition, Barkley has the desire to lead such an extravagant, unrealistic lifestyle rather than a life of simplicity and domesticity (therefore making her appear more transcendent given the time period).  Despite this want, she seems to remain grounded, especially regarding Frederic.
     Despite Frederic's promises of a royal life together, Catherine seems indifferent and stoic.  She still doubts that what they have together is love, that it is more of a "lie" (as she says so frequently).  She is resisting Frederic's want and her own lust for freedom to love and be loved because it is in her best interest, thus she is maintaining control of the relationship.
     Yet as Frederic and Catherine's relationship blossoms, she seems to shrink into the realm of domesticity and thus lose her transcendent appeal.  Catherine frequently asks Frederic if he loves her or if she is a "good wife," indicating that her self-worth has begun to shrink and she is losing control of the relationship, depending solely on Frederic's opinions of her in order to judge herself as a person.  However, her love for Frederic and devotion to him is unbridled, it extends beyond the boundaries of the common housewife.  Despite apparent "contentment" at being relegated to domesticity because of the impending birth of the child, her figure cannot be ignored.
     Much of this is because of her death.  If Barkley truly were just a simple domestic figure, it is unlikely that Hemingway would have killed her off in such tragic fashion (hemorrhage after the stillborn baby birth).  Rather, Barkley's death brings to light the true importance of her figure.  She was more than just a housewife, but a good and true friend and mother, with a practical sense of her role in the world as a woman.