Read the passage from "By the Waters of Babylon.”

Nevertheless, as I made the raft, the tears ran out of my eyes. The Forest People could have killed me without fight, if they had come upon me then, but they did not come.

When the raft was made, I said the sayings for the dead and painted myself for death. My heart was cold as a frog and my knees like water, but the burning in my mind would not let me have peace. As I pushed the raft from the shore, I began my death song—I had the right. It was a fine song.

Which textual evidence best supports the analysis that the setting develops the author's acceptance of death?

A “The Forest People could have killed me without fight.”
B “the tears ran out of my eyes”
C “but they did not come”
D “My heart was cold as a frog”

The textual evidence that best supports the analysis that the setting develops the author's acceptance of death is A. "The Forest People could have killed me without fight."

Explanation:

"By the Waters of Babylon" is a short story by Stephen Vincent Benét. The main character, John, is a priest and a priest's son who lives in a post-apocalyptic world where metal is believed to be evil. After having a revelation, John decides to travel to a forbidden place, a place where it is believed by himself and his people that gods used to live.

On his way, John accepts death as a consequence of his decision. He's well aware of the dangers on the way, such as the Forest People. He knows there is nothing that can be done to prevent his being killed in case they attack, as the textual evidence proves: "The Forest People could have killed me without fight."