Rope Passers

Much of Life After Life is told from the point of view of Joanna, a volunteer hospice nurse to the residents of Pine Haven Estates. She has been married several times, keeps her father's old hot dog joint up and running, and was saved from an attempted suicide when a dog named Tammy kept her from drowning.


The Distinguished Member of the Humane Society by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, 1831

As Joanna tells it:

"After it was all over, she thanked him for saving her and he said that really Tammy saved her. All he did was let the giant dog out to pee. He said there were two kinds of creatures in the world-- there are those in dresses fighting for the lifeboats and there are those making sure that others are okay, like the man in the footage of that plane crash in the Potomac who passed the life rope so many times he didn't make it himself. 'No doubt,' Luke said, 'I love the feel of a skirt, especially something in crepe or silk, but the honest truth is that I really want to be a rope passer. I like to believe that's what I'd do.' He pulled Tammy in close and kissed her big head. "Tammy is a rope passer. Tammy is a big voluptuous angel from heaven.'" pp. 69-70

What does the phrase "rope passer" evoke for you? Have you ever known someone like this?

Have you ever known a remarkable animal like Tammy?