Why is space important in Chopin's 'Story of an Hour'?

Space is fundamental in Chopin's 'Story of an Hour', as the narrative constructs on the opposition between inside and outside. The news of Mr Mallard's death is brought into the domestic, private space by the male character Richards and pushes the protagonist, Mrs Mallard, to desire an outside existence. The orgiastic desire for freedom is described indeed to enter from the window: 'she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air'. Yet, in the moment she attempts to exit the house, she is refused her freedom by the entrance of her husband, Mr Mallard, that ultimately kills her. This shows a duality in Chopin's description of space: while the outside represents Mrs Mallard's opportunity to be as one of the 'countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves', it is also what brings her husband back into the house and consequently her death. Being a woman, her freedom is negated as rather than exiting the house and becoming one with the outside world, is the outside world that enters the door, bringing its dangers.This ambiguity can be explained by noticing that the inside space is reserved to the female characters, while the outside to the males. With her husband's death, Mrs Mallard desires to join the misogynistic outside world, but does not realize that in a society that separates neatly the spheres of domestic and public, she will not be able to embrace the freedom that the world offers.