What is the significance of the fact that the covered wagons were traveling East at the end of Atlas Shrugged?

Question

At the very end of *Atlas Shrugged*, a group of covered wagons picks up people who were stranded by the *Comet*'s demise. Is it significant that they're heading east (e.g. that they were somehow "undoing" the progress of the people who contributed to progress by heading west in the covered wagons)? Or am I reading too much into that? I'm asking specifically about authorial intent here.

Answer 1

Hi, you are not reading too much into the analogy if you are able to support this with evidence from the text. As for whether or not the author intended this, you would need to find a primary source, her journal or letter to a friend, where she explains this section. Scholars may have analyzed this scene and provided feedback on it, but this is their interpretation. Hope this helps~ Kim