Willy’s mental faculties are deteriorating in Scene 7. He is no longer capable of separating the present and the past. In Willy’s mind all of the events are occurring at the same time, leaving him confused and bewildered. He does not know if he is in the past or the present, if he still has a chance to make things right with his family, or if he can still achieve success. He remembers the most important events relating to Linda and Biff, but he cannot separate them in his mind. He is in the present at the beginning of the scene, but the sight of Linda’s stockings moves him back into the past to the moment of his interlude with the Woman.
Willy’s guilt and agitation shift to anger as he focuses on Biff. Willy is already confused, but his anger increases when he learns of Biff’s unacceptable behavior. It is not a coincidence that Willy focuses on his own failure—the affair—and on Biff’s failure during this scene. Willy denies his own self-incrimination and instead directs all of his castigation upon Biff. Finally, Willy contradicts the majority of the scene when he defends Biff. Rather than admit his son is an imminent failure, Willy ignores the warning signs and praises him instead.
