Question

Read this excerpt from the introduction to Wheels of Change by Sue Macy. Imagine a population imprisoned by their very clothing; the stiff corsets, heavy skirts, and voluminous petticoats that made it difficult to take a deep breath, let alone exercise. Add to that the laws and social conventions that cemented a man's place as head of the household and holder of the purse strings. How suffocated women must have felt. And how liberated they must have been as they pedaled their wheels toward new horizons. Why does the author include this excerpt?

Answer 1

She believes that women must have felt trapped by clothes and social conventions.

Answer 2

The author placed such excerpt in order for him/her to describe a clearer picture on the metaphor that he is describing, on how man and woman are confined by the actions that they do in order to be distinguished as such in society.

The author was probably emphasizing these gender-roles assigned to people in society that at times can become suffocating and that people should be liberated from them.