Misinterpreting Mersault?

The idea that The Stranger is written in a form resembling a diary or journal got me thinking that maybe, we have misinterpreted Mersault. If The Stranger is read as Mersault's personal journal, maybe some of our interpretation that he is unfeeling is simply due to the fact that Mersault omitted the emotions he knew he was feeling, from his chronology of events. It seems very much to me that the story is one that dictates events, and while it appears Mersault is removed from emotion, maybe he has just removed his emotions from the story. For example, the first lines of the book "Maman died today. Or yesterday, maybe. I don't know" are viewed as shockingly unfeeling, but maybe Mersault is in shock. When he speaks of it being a waste of his Sundays to go visit his mother, maybe he is justifying to himself why he didn't go, since now he cannot go visit her.

As the story continues, Mersault is always dictating events from his point of view. Maybe he simply wants to remember the actions and realities on paper because he can remember his emotions himself. I cannot believe that Marie would want to be with an unfeeling monster.

The courtroom scene is presented as an attack on his character because he did not show emotion- but maybe just as the reader misunderstands Mersault, the courtroom could not interpret his expression of emotions because it was different than they might expect. Because Mersault is misunderstood he is locked up by society. If Mersault does not behave the same way as everyone else in society, society will not tolerate him.