The copy-cat and other stories presents a collection of narratives centered around childhood, personal growth, and the search for self-worth within a small community. The opening story follows a young child who admires another child’s confidence and outward perfection. Desiring acceptance, this observer mirrors everything about the admired figure, from mannerisms to outward appearance. The act of imitation becomes both a coping mechanism and a silent plea for belonging. Through schoolyard interactions and quiet emotional struggles, the child discovers that copying someone else does not lead to true connection or fulfillment. The collection uses everyday interactions to highlight how deeply individuals long to be valued, yet often overlook their own strengths. Instead of offering dramatic resolutions, the book gradually reveals how insecurity can distort relationships and how personal identity begins to form through choices, resilience, and moments of quiet realization. Each story reflects on the subtle pressures found in social environments and suggests that inner confidence comes not from imitation but from recognizing one’s inherent worth.
Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman was an American author. Freeman was born on October 31, 1852, in Randolph, Massachusetts, to Eleanor Lothrop and Warren Edward Wilkins, who christened her Mary Ella. Freeman's parents were conservative Congregationalists, and he grew up under severe supervision. Religious limitations play an important role in some of her works. In 1867, the family relocated to Brattleboro, Vermont, where Freeman graduated from the local high school before spending one year at Mount Holyoke College (formerly Mount Holyoke Female Seminary) in South Hadley, Massachusetts, from 1870 to 1871. She eventually completed her schooling at Glenwood Seminary in West Brattleboro. Freeman's father died unexpectedly in 1883, leaving her with no close family and an estate of barely $973. Wilkins returned to her hometown, Randolph. She moved in with a friend, Mary J. Wales, and started writing as her sole source of income. During a visit to Metuchen, New Jersey in 1892, she met Dr. Charles Manning Freeman, a non-practicing doctor seven years her junior. After years of courtship and delays, the couple married on January 1, 1902. She immediately established her name as Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, and requested that Harper's use it on all of her work.
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