"I hate birthdays"

Zane Grey, mainly understood for his adventure novels set in the American West, never ever explicitly resolved birthdays in his works, and the quote "I hate birthdays" isn't directly attributable to him. Nevertheless, analyzing it through the lens of his styles and style can yield some intriguing insights.

Grey's stories typically revolve around rugged individualism, the obstacles of the frontier, and the self-questioning that includes solitude and survival in severe landscapes. Versus this background, the declaration "I hate birthdays" could be seen as a reflection on the passage of time and the inevitable restrictions it enforces, especially for characters who live near to the edge of society and mortality.

In Grey's world, a birthday might serve as a stark reminder of age and the relentless march of time, unwelcome invasions in a life lived by the seat of one's trousers and determined more by the cycles of nature than the calendar. For a cowboy or a traveler in the Western wilderness, acknowledging a birthday might represent a tether to societal norms or an undesirable suggestion of responsibilities and tasks that include age.

Additionally, in the context of Grey's narratives, which frequently depict the quest for freedom and the escape from social restrictions, "I hate birthdays" might be an expression of ridicule for anything that signals conformity or the passage into roles and expectations set by others. In the untamed West, the event of birthdays could be viewed as unnecessary routine, irrelevant to those focused on survival, adventure, and the immediate challenges of their environment.

For that reason, the belief "I hate birthdays", as viewed through a Grey-inspired lens, speaks with a desire to live untethered by time-- a preference for the classic, wild appeal of nature and individual autonomy over societal turning points. Through this interpretation, one can find layers of suggesting that resonate with Grey's legacy of checking out mankind's struggle against the passage of time in a world where flexibility and survival are vital.