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Penelope's letter was a handwritten letter written by Penelope Widmore to Desmond Hume. Penelope hid it in his hardbound copy of Dickens' Our Mutual Friend. ("Live Together, Die Alone")

Apparently Penelope understood the significance of this book to Desmond, which he was planning to read just before he believed his life was to end. Therefore the letter was intended as a statement of love and inspiration to be revealed in this deepest moment of despair. Because the book was placed in storage with his personal effects during his incarceration (so that he was not tempted to read the book, and by extension, end his life), he did not discover the letter there.

It was not until much later that he discovered the letter while in the Swan when he was contemplating suicide after three years living in the Hatch. It was revealed that this moment of crisis occurred at the same time as John Locke was also, in his moment of despair, pounding on the Hatch door. The combination of the letter's discovery and Locke's appearance apparently saved Desmond's life as he rejected the idea of commiting suicide. ("Live Together, Die Alone")

Contents[]

The letter reads:

Dearest Des,

I am writing this letter to
you as you leave for prison. And I've
hidden it in the one place you would
turn to in a moment of great desperation.
I know you go away with
the weight of what happened on your
shoulders. And I know the only
person who can ever take it off is
you. Sorry to be so dramatic, but
these are dramatic times, are they not?

Please don't give up, Des. Because
all we really need to survive is one
person who truly loves us.

And you have her. I will wait for
you. Always.

I Love you, Pen

Different props[]

Penelopeslettercomparison

A close-up of the two different letter props in ("Live Together, Die Alone").

At least two copies of the letter are used as props, as the line breaks at the end of the letter are different.

One version reads:

person who can ever take it off is
you. Sorry to be so dramatic, but
these are dramatic times, are they not?

Please don't give up, Des. Because
all we really need to survive is one
person who truly loves us.
And you have her. I will wait

The other version in close-up of reads:

the only person who can ever take
it off is you. Sorry to be so
dramatic, but these are dramatic
times, are they not?

Please don't give up, Des.
Because all we really need to
survive is one person who truly
loves us. And you have her.

I will wait for you. Always.
I love you, Pen

See also[]

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