The setting of the story is very limited; it is confined largely to a room, a staircase, and a front door. How does this limitation help to express the themes of the story?

The story itself has no need for a large setting, but the confined nature of the setting does serve to accentuate Mrs. Mallard's exhilaration.... her joy. In a short, sixty minutes, Mrs. Mallard transforms from a grieving widow, to a woman celebrating her independence, to a woman in a state of shock..... and in a heartbeat.... a woman who succumbs to death.