44 pages • 1 hour read
Malcolm GladwellDavid and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2013A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Key Figures
David
David was a shepherd of the Israelites. At the height of the conflict between his people and the Philistines, David steps forward to represent Israel in single combat against the giant Goliath. If David wins, the war will end. If he loses, the Israelites will be enslaved. David is overmatched and refuses to wear the armor that Saul offers him before the fight. He says that he learned everything he needed while keeping predators away from his flocks. David puts a rock in a sling and runs towards Goliath. He hits him in the forehead with the rock and then cuts off the giant’s head with a sword, ending the war. David is representative of anyone who fights against odds that look overwhelming. He is an example of the cunning, dexterity, and counterintuitive thinking that informs Gladwell’s arguments about why underdogs win more frequently than people might assume.
Goliath
Goliath was a giant and the champion of the Philistines. When he comes down to fight David in single combat, it is clear that his vision is poor. But he is strong and his defenses appear to be impervious, particularly against a foe as small and vulnerable as David. However, Goliath’s strengths are quickly shown to be weaknesses. His size makes him slow, as does his heavy armor. He cannot use his physical strength from a distance and is therefore an ideal target for David’s sling. Goliath represents power as well as how unconventional means can beat power.
Malcolm Gladwell
As the author of the book, Gladwell interviews many of the subjects he writes about. He refrains from inserting himself other than to make it clear that he heard many of his anecdotes directly from Freireich, Sacks, and others. When Gladwell has been criticized for his work—with David and Goliath and other books—it is typically because he is being cast in the role of scientist, rather than of journalist, and that his conclusions are not supported by the data he cites. However, while Gladwell does occasionally draw hard conclusions, in David and Goliath it is clear that he views his role as one of a storyteller and conversation starter, never pretending to put forth a definitive view on any issue. He appears more as an interested, curious participant than as an authority figure or academic.
Related Titles
By Malcolm Gladwell
