The heat of the summer was not as stifling as the formality of her life

So I watched Tuck Everlasting for the first time. And I loved that quote. "The heat of the summer was not as stifling as the formality of her life". Then I began researching her dress and became inspired. It's funny because at some point her dress seems to hold her back, and contribute to the "stifling formality of her life", but other times it seems to set her free.