My wife and I were watching a movie where one of the main characters died shortly after being reunited with his long lost love. His death was not meaningless -- he died defending his only son, but it was completely unsatisfying. I wasn't happy that he died. I felt torn.
On the other hand, there have been movies and stories where a key character dies and, although it is sad, I am good with it. It works. The sorrow and death are satisfying and add to the depth of the story rather than make me question why such a bad thing happened.
What makes the death of a main character satisfying or unsatisfying?
Answer
According to dream logic, which often underlies work that is psychologically satisfying, death symbolizes rebirth.
For example, in the movie American Beauty, the death of the main character comes at a moment of spiritual and moral renewal. We mourn the character, but we paradoxically and simultaneously experience the character's death as a liberation.
When the death is not accompanied by this hidden sense of rebirth, we merely experience it as senseless and depressing.
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