According to a different source, this question refers to the short story "To Build a Fire" by Jack London. In this story, the protagonist is referred to as "the man." He is not given a name. Moreover, the man is a flat character. There are very few characteristics that make him different to others. The main reason why London decides to refer to the man in this way is because he wants to focus on nature, and not on humanity. Moreover, in this way, he is able to indicate that the fate and character of the man would be typical of any other human being.