The American Dream,a belief that everyone could achieve their ideals (democracy, rights,liberty, opportunity and equality) through hard work in America, has beenuniversally accepted and promoted not only by the United States of America, butalso by everyone that believes in it. There has been a great number of studieson American Dream, including American literature, movies and TV series fromdiverse respective interpretations.

Hierarchical Theory ofNeeds, proposed by Abraham Harold Maslow inhis 1954 book Motivation and Personality, parallels many other theories of humandevelopmental psychology from preliminarily to high level, includingphysiological, safety, belonging and love, esteem, self-actualization andself-transcendence, some of which focus on describing the stages of growth ofhumans in hierarchy. Recent researches turn out to validate the existenceof universal human needs. It points out that a lower need is more"urgent" in the sense that it must be satisfied before a higher need can take overcontrol. This theory has received great attention so far in psychologyresearch, sociology study and so on.

Two Broke Girls, awell-received American sitcom, embodies different American dreams bydepicting the daily life, personality of several typical characters. Theseries follows the misadventures of two main characters, Max, born in a poorfamily in lower class, and Caroline, born rich but latterly bankrupt due to herfather’s imprisonment for his operating a Ponzi scheme, become friends while workingas waitresses in the restaurant and make efforts to achieve their dream ofopening a cupcake shop someday in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn, New York. Theplot of this series embodies affluent meaning of American Dreams andMaslow’s Hierarchical Theory of Needs.

This paper is designed topresent a more distinct perspective of American dreams in Two BrokeGirls with Maslow’s Hierarchical Theory of Needs as the theoreticalframework. Although Two Broke Girls has received favorableresponse, there is no systematic study on American dreams in this seriesfrom Hierarchical Theory of Needs. Most of previous studies of TwoBroke Girls concentrate on the use or function of verbal humor andsubtitling translation. Thus, it is a necessity to fill the void byanalyzing the American dream and determine what it means in Two BrokeGirls from Maslow’s theory.

This essay will promotethe further understanding of Two Broke Girls, other American TVseries as well as American culture and mainstream values, particularlythe American dream of the lower class. In the meantime, it also provides aplatform for Chinese students to reflect their dreams in a more scientific wayunder the guidance of Maslow’s theory. Additionally, it is also atheoretical, practical and more detailed guidance for theresearch of Maslow’s Hierarchical Theory of Needs in a newfield, especially in Two Broke Girls as well as other movies and TVseries.

2. 研究的基本内容与方案

This thesis isaiming to explore the American dream and value in Two BrokeGirls from Maslow’s Hierarchical Theory of Needs. Apart from theintroduction and conclusion, three main parts are consisted in this thesis: 1.literature review of Two Broke Girls 2. Analysis of American Dream 3.Analysis of Maslow’s Hierarchical Theory of Needs. In the first part,this paper will present the introduction and the previous studies of Two BrokeGirls. In the second part, this paper will analyze American Dream, includingits evolution, the previous studies and the American Dream in Two Broke Girls.The last part is the analysis of Maslow’s Hierarchical Theory of Need,consisting of the development and mechanism of Maslow’s HierarchicalTheory of Need and the analysis of Two Broke Girls from Maslow’s theory.

American Dream has cast along shadow in the heart of American. People have different interpretationtowards American Dream, which represents the multifaced meaning of it. Amajority of people identify their American dreams as home ownership andmaterial items. Some of them also attach great importance to their dedicationsto their families. This kind of commitment to family seems to have been pressedon their heart deeply. It is said that success, whatever it may be, is achievedthrough an individual's perseverance and hard work, regardless of gender, race,age or social status. Thus, to some extent, American dream is a symbol of hardwork.

Maslow's theory of Needs, driven by the urgency of physical needs whichinvolves autonomous system, and self-actualizing personality model are reviewedand criticized. It includes the needs for esteem, safety, belonging, love and achievement.Self-actualization is defined as the ability to meet these basic needs with properconditions in due time.