Time passed and both aunty misery and her tree grew bent and gnarled with age. one day another traveler stopped at her door. this one looked untrustworthy to her, so before letting him into her home the old woman asked him what he was doing in her village. he answered her in a voice that was dry and hoarse, as if he had swallowed a desert. "i am death, and i have come to take you with me."

which element of an allegory is found in this excerpt?

a the characters live in the past.
b the characters symbolize ideas.
c the characters are unhappy.
d the characters speak literally.