Asked by jimmy

Read the excerpt from "Not Waving but Drowning” by Stevie Smith.

Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he’s dead
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
They said.

What does the phrase "he always loved larking” show about the dead man?

He loved nature.
He loved adventure.
The people around him thought he was unwell.
The people around him thought he was carefree.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
The people around him thought he was carefree.

"To love larking" means to enjoy joking, playing, and frolic—suggesting others saw him as lighthearted and playful.