Or, it could be that Ayn Rand was stuck with a character she really didn’t know what to do with at the end.
When Eddie went West, Dagny was still fighting, hoping to hold on. Dagny couldn’t go herself, so, it was logical to send Eddie. At this point, the plot pretty much demanded Eddie go.
But, Taggert bridge had to be blown up, so that Dagny would finally throw in the towel.
It’s almost like “oops, I’ve got Eddie on the wrong side of the Mississippi, now what do I do with him?”
Every author has passages and threads that turn into clunkers.
Why should Rand be any different?
Today she could get $4500 for that clunker...