Criticizing Camus's Attempt to Adapt Subtle Existentialist Ideas in "The Stranger"

This is intertwined with my other short essay criticizing existentialism. This is entirely my own opinion, of course.

Camus’s attempt to adapt subtle and symbolic existentialistic ideas is also faulty. The book The Stranger clearly ictuates the fact that human behavior always defaults to fearing and rejecting that which isn’t understood. Meursault pays the price for believing what he believes and for acting the way he acts in conjunction to what he believes. Camus inserts human behavior into the books seemingly inhuman protagonist by subtly mentioning in first person what Meursault does to keep himself occupied without doing any "absurd" and pointless tasks. Yet Meursault still does these things, perhaps without realizing it. Looking out onto the street from his balcony all day is as pointless as ever. Meusault's own belief of pointlessness interferes with his actions and behavior and thus results in doing what he believes is pointless and "absurd". You can't get away from life, even if you believe life is pointless. Even if you stand still, the action is still pointless.

Meursault deals with his mother's death in the most unusual of ways. By ignoring her death and moving on with his life in the most emotionless and inhuman way possible. Yet, it goes hand in hand with his belief. Death is a matter that doesn't worry the existentialist believer, unless coerced by some mean that only works on such person, Meursault clearly doesn't contemplate death even when he's about to die at the end of the book. He rejects religion, he rejects life, he rejects what was given to him. Or does he?

I don't believe so. Even if you try to not be yourself, you're still yourself. Even if you try to not be human, you're still a human. Whether you want to ignore yourself and isolate yourself from others, you're still susceptible to feeling, wanting, loving, needing etc. Camus included subtle clues to Meursault's humanity even in the most unusual places. When Meursault has sex with Marie, Meursault's way of showing his love toward Marie is by having sex. Sex is the most instinctual thing we can do. Acting on instinct is a way for Meursault to impart how he behaves and what he believes in. I applaud Camus for adding symbolism to this work, but in adding existentialist ideas, he only succeeded in alienating his readers.

Although Camus catches the readers attention and draws him or her into the life of a seemingly ordinary man with an unusual way of living, Camus created this man with the trait of being a complete monster. Now, although when Meursault is being tried, we're supposed to feel sorry for him for being found guilty for how he acts, I felt no remorse for him. There wasn't any way to feel sorry for a man that doesn't appreciate his life or life in its entirety.