How does the author use metaphor in the novel, Alex and Eliza: A Love Story?

The author uses the dresses of colonial women as an extended metaphor of the constrictions placed upon the female characters in the novel, Eliza in particular. One example of this can be seen in the beginning of the novel when Eliza is wearing a simple cotton gown, “American grown and woven” (20). But, her mother insists that she wear an elaborate, expensive gown to the ball: “The gown was undeniably gorgeous, with a burgundy overskirt and pale green brocade petticoats. It sagged awkwardly in the middle however, without a pannier to hold up its ample skirts — which is what Dot held in her hands when she turned from the wardrobe. Eliza did her best to focus on the tangle of straps and slats of the pannier, which looked as cumbersome as a carriage horse’s harness” (16). When Eliza refuses to wear the gown on the grounds that it would be hypocritical to wear it when a war was taking place, her mother is furious: “’I suppose there is always one spinster in the family … try to be as inconspicuous as possible. Perhaps I can convince the gathering I have only two daughters” (22). Catherine goes on to force Eliza to dance with a John André and Alex as punishment.