The more she cries out for help, the more people seem to ignore and abandon Dolores, which only allows desperation for attention to grow. Her unhappiness then culminates to a steady weight gain as her mother persuades Dolores to find comfort in food. She attempts to fill her emptiness with Cheetos and tasty cakes, but as her waistband grows, so does her depression until she is left in a worse state than before. At age 10, Dolores is forced to grow up having nobody by her side to help cope with her troubles except for her food. Towards the end of the book Dolores states,You orchestrate happiness- you work at it. You don't catch it as it hurls toward you like a football (Ch.27,p327). This quote displays how Dolores was forced to not depend on others, but rather herself, as no one ever hurled happiness at her, she had to chase it down independently. While being deserted by the people she loved most so young, she found that the only way to happiness is by creating it yourself. .
As if growing up with unstable parents and feeling abandoned by her loved ones wasn't enough, Dolores suffers from another traumatic event that only furthers her unhappiness: her rape. Jack Speight, who at first appears as a seemingly charismatic young man wins the affection and respect of Dolores and her Grandma. However Jack abuses the respect Dolores has for him and marks her as an outlet for his troubles. When stress mounts on Jack, he becomes another person, a vicious person with cruel intentions and sadly Dolores ends up a victim. This monstrous act then instilled a sense of uselessness and guilt in Dolores when Jack convinces her that she was at fault because she 'tempted' him. Although Dolores lives with the unbearable weight on her shoulders, she realizes later in life that the most arduous stress can shape you into a stronger person. This is most displayed when Dolores comments, I usually learn more from the situations I hate then the ones I love.
