The Warriors Movie Site Forum

why does she tag along?

I think it was because she recognized that they could have at least gotten her out of her neighborhood. Or at least be around a gang that was an actual tough gang.

Hell.....look at the bums she was hangin with. They were so far down they werent even on the map.

just like a woman going and dumping her guy for something a little better LOl J/K

she was looking for some real action!

Shes there for the ride(no pun intended)!!! just wants to be with some tough guys,who can hold their own,she digs the whole macho thing.

maybe she just realises swan is better lookin than sully, and harder and cooler and im sure ive said this somewhere before

You know she likes traveling too. -I always wondered what she meant by "traveling." Did she want to go with Swan to another part of the city? Jersey? The Mississippi? Puerto Rico? Uzbekistan?

basically;

mercy hates her life and see's no future for herself. she lives for the moment and has no thoughts or plans about what she wants out of life.

she has a rough & deprived upbringing (i imagine) so doesn't believe in society, politics or welfare to help her out of the state she's in. she has a negative outlook on life due to the unfortunate experiences she will have encountered when growing up so wants to 'get away' from everything she knows...escape from the societal 'norms' that have become her routine.

the obvious way to do this is to move on. she see's hope with swan. she senses some excitement with a new crowd and longs for the possibility that tagging along with the warriors may provide her with some of the opportunities or lifestyle that she seeks...nothing great, but better than at present.

this is best captured during the scene with the prom couple.

i think that the prom couple are a visual representation of what her 'sought after' life would look like. nice clothes, hair etc.

mercy, on the train with swan, when going to a new destination tries to brush her hair to look representable to the proms as in her own mind she is attempting to imagine herself in their position. swan grabs her arm which to me means...'you dont have to prove yourself to them'.

then, when she closes her eyes and opens them they are gone...just like a dream. in the flash of an eye, her dreams are taken away from her.

her comments about wanting to travel with swan...this fits because she wants to search for a lifestyle she always dreamed about. she hopes theres something better out there (just like swan) and they both want to find it.

Well emissary was on the money..

Mercy: Well you know I like to traveling too
Swan: Where have you ever been
Mercy: I never been anywhere,I just know I like it

And with a low-outfit like The Orphans,who would want to stay with these wimps!
That's why in the Videogame,I trashed that car of his!!

Excellent points Swift-eyed Wolf--I agree.

And I think traveling to her meant anywhere she isn't right now. She would more or less "go" where ever he would lead them to end up.

Wolf... you got it!
And something that there's been bothering me on the forum for a while now...
When people refer to Mercy as a prostitute. That thought never crossed my mind. and I hate when some of you guys call her that.
I believe she really liked Swan from the beginning, and everything else Swift Eyed said.

I used to think she was. It was in here, about a month ago that I decided that she wasn't. She may have been "whorish" in the way she was talking at first. But she comes out of the movie with more personal growth than anybody.(I know Walter says this) I think the dialogue that threw me at first, and throws most guys who aren't really paying attention is:
Mercy: Friday nights are pretty good, Saturday nights are better.
Swan: I bet you can't even remember who you get on Friday and Saturday night, I bet you can't remember what they look like.
That sounds bad but it could just mean that she's getting around a lot and not a pro.

I think she may have taken either money or favors for sex within the neighborhood.
I think it may have been a type of necessity, doing what she has to, to get what she wants. I don't use it as a character slur--just the way her life was working.

I do not think she walked the streets as such or dressed up like the professional streets pros do. I think in her case it was opportunity/necessity orientated. And that does not mean she did it very regularly either, but when ever it worked for her.

I think she noticed Swan but I think her main attraction first was Fox, and if he would not have been killed, she never would have ended up with Swan, as Swan didn't want her---It was Fox who grabbed her arm and took her along when they went running. She may have been attracted to Swan too, simply because he did not act interested in her at all---and that always peaks a woman's interest, and in Mercy's case, she would have a felt it a challenge to find out WHY he isn't attracted to me.
and survival of the fittest may have entered into it too, as Swan seemed the leader-which would indicate strength and intelligence--may have been reason enough for her to be attracted to him, because he was a lot more than any of the neighborhood guys she knew.

i couldn't agree more Ranchgal---i think you were dead on in your analysis of Mercy's situation. she certainly wasn't a 'pro' just someone that had a lot of 'dates' . i can see why she'd want to upgrade her position from orphan to warrior. after seeing swan's cool demeaner and hot looks, who wouldn't want to follow after them? the chat with swan in the subway was a bit of bravado, her way of showing that she 'had something going' and wasn't a loser like the rest of the gang. albeit, not one of the most respectable ways to survive, or to brag about.