The biggest part of Dolores’s self-discovery is her time spent in therapy with Dr. Shaw. After Dolores calls her, Geneva realizes that Dolores is in need of some serious guidance. She pays for therapy, where Dolores attempts to re-write her childhood with Dr. Shaw. He acts as Dolores’s mother, in hopes that by doing so, Dolores can see the way her childhood should have been. Dr. Shaw replaces the negative memories with positive ones, such as the memory of Dolores’s first period, and how her mother was upset at her for it. He helps her lose the weight she has always wanted to lose, but also help her to gain something as a replacement – confidence. Dr. Shaw gives Dolores the chance to do something that no one ever did and that is the chance to express herself, which she does through etch-n-sketch drawings. However, Dolores leaves Dr. Shaw a little bit prematurely, and begins to care for herself in the real world, starting with buying an apartment.
The real world is a big shocker for Dolores. She is living alone, paying her own bills, and having to find her own job. She moves across from Dante, an ex-boyfriend of her college roommate. Once introduced, the two begin an intimate relationship, but Dolores complicates things for herself by creating a fictional life story. She lives a lie for Dante because she does not want to fail him either, and she even aborts their baby. However, Dante proves to be the failure in the relationship when he cheats on Dolores with a student of his. This proves to be an epiphany for Dolores also. She realizes no one is worth losing her identity for, and spills the truth to Dante, which allows her to capture true freedom for herself.
The final stage of self-discovery for Dolores comes from her relationship with Thayer. He is what Dolores has wanted all her life – happiness, security, and love. He proves to be such a positive influence, that he even allows Dolores to discover her one true passion in life, which is the need to see a whale. The whale seems to represent beauty to Dolores. It is the symbol of her mother, grandmother, and aborted baby daughter. She allows her self-discovery process to finally be completed.
This story can be related to almost everyone in the world. Everyone needs to discover themselves at one point or another; there is a reason you are put on Earth and only you can find that purpose. However, first you must discover who you are. Both the good and the bad help you to do that. No one knows who they really are until you find something that is worth living for; something that keeps you going each morning. No matter who you are, you reach your breaking points. You have mental breakdowns and blocks that can hurt you, but in the end they only make you a stronger and better person. Dolores deals with the loss of a childhood, a non-existent grandmother, obesity, therapy, a suicide attempt, a hard relationship, and most importantly, a rape by someone she trusted. However, although she feels like she wants to quit life several times, it is worth it to stay here in the end. She discovers herself and merges into a life of happiness, security, and love. She allows herself to be given to a person fully and honestly. She now knows who she is better than anyone. The ending of the book truly captures the deepest message:
““Undone,” I write in the journal – stare at the word, turn it over. Jack Speight undid me, then I almost undid myself. But I’ve undone some of the bad, too, some of the damage. With help. With luck and love…” (463)
