User blog comment:DYBAD/Character Sheet/@comment-4867780-20141127015300/@comment-5265497-20141128070537

You notice almost every movie has that trademark good ending where the protagonist endured through tribulations to achieve a goal that was far out of reach at the beginning. It's actually that sense of accomplishment that the audience lives vicariously through the protagonist, not the pain and suffering that has to be endured to achieve the goal (imagine any movie with a bad ending where the protagonist completely fails to accomplish his goals, not going to be a good movie). And on the opposite side, its even worst when everything is just handed to a character on a silver platter or they are beyond any threat because there is also no sense of accomplishment.

And to see a character crush or convert the opposition at the end is what gives the most satisfactory feeling because plots usually have deeper representations of philosophy, ideals, faiths embedded within the superficial narrative construct that the author gets the audience to relate to. It's deeply satisfying to see that character who was looked down upopn at the beginning prove his strength later on in the story. Pain and suffering is just a natural part of it (to get you to hate the antagonist, show how determination wins in the end, let the audience look forward to the future)