David and Goliath
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Introduction: Goliath Chapter 1: Vivek Ranadivé Chapter 2: Teresa DeBrito Chapter 3: Caroline Sacks Chapter 4: David Boies Chapter 5: Emil “Jay” Freireich Chapter 6: Wyatt Walker Chapter 7: Rosemary Lawlor Chapter 8: Wilma Derksen Chapter 9: André Trocmé
Themes
All Themes Advantages and Disadvantages Convention and the Status Quo Hardship and Resilience Conviction, Morality, and Empathy
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Malcolm Gladwell David Goliath T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) Vivek Ranadivé Caroline Sacks Rick Pitino The Hollywood Executive Teresa DeBrito David Boies Ingvar Kamprad Gary Cohn J. T. MacCurdy Emil “Jay” Freireich Fred Shuttlesworth Martin Luther King, Jr. Wyatt Walker Rosemary Lawlor Nathan Leites Charles Wolf Jr. Joanne Jaffe Mike Reynolds Wilma Derksen André Trocmé King Saul Édouard Manet Edgar Degas Paul Cézanne Claude Monet Pierre-Auguste Renoir Camille Pissarro Eugene “Bull” Connor Harriet Carson Ian Freeland Marshal Philippe Pétain
Terms
All Terms Inverted-U Curve
Symbols
All Symbols The Full-Court Press The Three Strikes Law
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David and Goliath

by

Malcolm Gladwell
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Wilma Derksen Character Analysis

Wilma Derksen is a Canadian woman whose daughter was murdered in the 1980s. When her daughter, Candace, doesn’t come home one evening, Wilma and her husband go looking for her but are unsuccessful. It isn’t until seven weeks later that the police find Candace’s dead body tied up in a nearby shed. That night, a man comes to Wilma’s house and tells her and her husband that his daughter was also murdered. He tells them stories about trying to bring the killer to justice, and Wilma can sense that his anger has all but ruined his life. Because of this (and because she and her husband are Mennonites who believe in forgiveness), Wilma decides to let go of the matter altogether. To that end, the Derksens tell reporters that they hope their daughter’s killer finds the love he needs. Gladwell juxtaposes Wilma’s story with Mike Reynolds’s story, demonstrating that there are multiple ways to respond to adversity and trauma.

Wilma Derksen Quotes in David and Goliath

The David and Goliath quotes below are all either spoken by Wilma Derksen or refer to Wilma Derksen. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Advantages and Disadvantages Theme Icon
).
Chapter 8: Wilma Derksen Quotes

Is Wilma Derksen more—or less—of a hero than Mike Reynolds? It is tempting to ask that question. But it is not right: Each acted out of the best of intentions and chose a deeply courageous path.

The difference between the two was that they felt differently about what could be accomplished through the use of power. The Derksens fought every instinct they had as parents to strike back because they were unsure of what that could accomplish. They were not convinced of the power of giants.

Related Characters: Malcolm Gladwell (speaker), Mike Reynolds, Wilma Derksen
Related Symbols: The Three Strikes Law
Convention and the Status Quo Theme Icon
Hardship and Resilience Theme Icon
Conviction, Morality, and Empathy Theme Icon
Page Number: 253
Explanation and Analysis:
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David and Goliath PDF

Wilma Derksen Quotes in David and Goliath

The David and Goliath quotes below are all either spoken by Wilma Derksen or refer to Wilma Derksen. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Advantages and Disadvantages Theme Icon
).
Chapter 8: Wilma Derksen Quotes

Is Wilma Derksen more—or less—of a hero than Mike Reynolds? It is tempting to ask that question. But it is not right: Each acted out of the best of intentions and chose a deeply courageous path.

The difference between the two was that they felt differently about what could be accomplished through the use of power. The Derksens fought every instinct they had as parents to strike back because they were unsure of what that could accomplish. They were not convinced of the power of giants.

Related Characters: Malcolm Gladwell (speaker), Mike Reynolds, Wilma Derksen
Related Symbols: The Three Strikes Law
Convention and the Status Quo Theme Icon
Hardship and Resilience Theme Icon
Conviction, Morality, and Empathy Theme Icon
Page Number: 253
Explanation and Analysis:
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