Who Do You Need, Who Do You Love?
When you come undone? Oops, that's the wrong song, but we'll stick with this train of thought for a minute.
She's Come Undone could mean a variety of things. Dolores's mom comes undone, for instance, when she loses her mind after her miscarriage divorce. And Dolores starts a downward spiral after being raped by Jack, hitting rock bottom when her mother dies. But ultimately, we think the title is a reference to Dolores's entire freaking journey since the entire book is a quest for Dolores to put herself back together after being torn apart. She comes undone countless times, but in the end, she comes un-undone, finally pulling herself together.
But you don't have to take our word for it—let Dolores tell you herself. She says, "I've undone some of the bad […] some of the damage. With help. With luck and love…" (29.25). What she ultimately undoes, then, is the terribleness of her life. So while throughout the book we might think that the title is a shout-out to her repeated stumbles, ultimately it's a reference to Dolores breaking the cycle and getting herself together.