Attraction to "tragic" characters

[craig r]

This seems like as good of a spot as any. I have been doing a lot of "self examining" lately and noticed that I had an "attraction" to "tragic" characters. By attraction, I don't mean sexually, physically, etc... I just mean that for some reason or another, this is what I like to read about or watch movies about. And I also mean "tragic" in it's proper form. Examples of tragic characters would be Stu Ungar, Malcolm X, John Lennon, Conor Oberst, and many others (even a lot of gangster movies, like Goodfellas, I would consider tragic).

Anyways, I really don't know why I would be more inclined to read about or watch movies about these people. I have had a fairly decent life so far (27) and though I have had many ups and downs, I can't necessarily relate to these people. Of course I have struggled (struggling) with addictions and what not, but I have never known "real" pain. So, why would I gravitate towards these types of movies, books, and/or characters?

craig

p.s. I especially like the "characters" that redeemed themselves.