Story lovers and folklore fans: I’m looking for a kind of boy-who-cried-wolf in reverse. Do you know of any traditional stories about someone who refuses to ask for help–insists they don’t need it–and then, when things collapse or go wrong because they clearly DO need help, no one heeds their pleas? And maybe there’s some slippage before– they can’t quite finish the task (mow the field, bake the cake, write the report, diaper the baby, build the castle, storm the castle– whatever it is) and do it well, but any offer of assistance is met with, “Oh, no, no, I can handle it.” Until. . .
This is a story-model curiosity, a little excursion into unknown (to me) clichés or refrains or folktales. Please share in comments if this rings any bells, and thank you!