 The fictional town of Whilomville , which is used in 14 other Crane stories , was based on Port Jervis , New York , where Crane lived with his family for a few years during his youth . It is thought that he took inspiration from several local men who were similarly disfigured , although modern critics have made numerous connections between the story and the 1892 lynching in Port Jervis of an African @-@ American man named Robert Lewis . A study of prejudice , fear and isolation in a small town , the novella was first published in Harper 's Magazine in August 1898 . A year later it was included in The Monster and Other Stories — the last collection of Crane 's work to be published during his lifetime . 
