Whew, thank you post deleting Gods. I didn't know how to explain myself out of that one. You saved my neck there . . .
Yes, Rey is a great a example of wishfulfillment for a character. Though I can't say she's as sympathetic or vulnerable as let's say, Rocky Balboa or Rambo. She is definitely more powerful and unstoppable compared to the likes of the Terminator.
Maybe I'm just having trouble wrapping my head around the idea of what a little girl might want to see? Perhaps that's why. When I was a kid though, I never liked the hero being unstoppable or invincible. As a kid, I loved seeing Luke get bruised and beaten in Empire or seeing Batman limp up the cathedral all bloodied and burned. It was like they were defeated, but still going for it. It was cool and made them even more of a hero. I dunno.
If I were a kid, I'd think Rey was lame. But then who knows, maybe that's what young people want in their heroes now a days?
I still think Leia, Padme and Jyn Erso are better female Star Wars characters. Though I'm sure that had to have been pretty traumatizing for any little girl to have invested in Jyn only for her to get nuked.