Likewise, Kafka was also the eldest son, responsible for his family since his older brother had died in the war and similarly, his father was also very abusive and overbearing who yelled at and denigrated his son as Kafka refused to take up his father's business. Gregor's sister Grete, throughout the earlier parts of the novel still retains the strong bond they had before his metamorphosis. . Like Gregor, Kafka was also very close to his youngest sister, Ottala , who he stayed with during the times he was bleeding slowly to death internally. Kafka's strong relationship with his sister is also displayed in The Metamorphosis between the similarities between their names, Grete and Gregor, and the fact that two are the only two full names told throughout the novel. The last name of the protagonist, Samsa, is significant to the book because it helps show the symbolic relation between the life of the protagonist and the author, which helps emphasize Gregor's upcoming isolation .
Gregor's isolation begins with his transformation into a vermin soon leading him to a realization about his himself. In Czech words, the protagonist's last name , " sam" means alone and "jsem" means I am, translating into "I am alone," describing Gregor's position in life. Gregor's isolation began with his job as he describes "the torture of traveling, worrying, about changing trains, eating miserable food at all hours, constantly seeing new faces, [and] no relationships that last or get more intimate." (kafka, 4). Along with his job, Gregor is unable to keep a lasting relationship and is not able to find his love, which is symbolized by the framed picture of the lady in fur hanging in Gregor's wall. Moreover, the relationship between the picture in the magazine cut-out rather than a real human being, demonstrates his isolation from humanity. Moreover, after his transformation into a vermin, Gregor is shunned from society, represented through his family.
