What is the significance of the open window in relation to the main character's epiphany in "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin?

For Louise Mallard, the open window represents the freedom she feels when she learns that her husband has died. In her epiphany she realizes she is now "free, body and soul" to live her own life. When she looks out this open window, she sees spring (symbolic of her new beginning), an open square (also represents freedom), and a blue sky (symbolic of hope).