This is from one of the readings in 中級から学ぶ日本語 workbook (Ch.16), about a man who has just retired and is sitting back with a beer thinking about how hard he worked and whether it was all worth it. There are a couple of sentences in there that use the ず form which are confusing me:
There were also those terrible times when I had to go away on business three times a month. それでも別に不満には思わず人の倍働き、今日定年を迎えたのだ。
I'm guessing it means something like, 'Yet, without being aware of my dissatisfaction, and working twice as hard as others(?), today I welcome in my retirement.' But I'm not sure if 別に不満には思わず modifies 人 as in 'a person who is dissatisfied without knowing', or if there are three clauses in there 1) not realising my(?) dissatisfaction, 2) working twice as hard as a normal person (??), 3) welcome in my retirement.
I would think 'I'm quitting! But if I quit, what could I do? The world is a tough place, I have to support my family.' These thoughts troubled me. だれにも言わず、だれにも言えず、苦しんだ。
Does this mean 'Not telling anyone, and not being able to tell anyone, I suffered through it'?
Answer
Sorry but both Eric Wang and e2r2i2k2 are incorrect. 言わず is similar to 言わないで, not 言わない (unless it's placed at the end of a sentence). And this 思わず is a negative adverbial which modifies 働き. ず never modifies a noun.
ず ≒ ずに ≒ ないで
（ 思わず ＝ negative of 思い ）≒ 思わずに ≒ （ 思わないで ＝ negative of 思って ）
So the sentence means: "Having worked twice as hard as others without feeling unhappy in particular, today I'm having the day of retirement".
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