I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't know Huckleberry Finn existed. It's as if he has always been, like a famous historical ancestor, proudly remembered at family gatherings. You can recite the major exploits of their legendary tale, but when you finally research the details of their story, you realize that it is actually very different from what your loved ones have told you over the years. American critics applied this type of familial reverence to Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. They called it a Pan-American novel, despite the controversies it has generated since the beginning of the 20th century, to the extent that it totally captures the independence and bravado considered to be the fundamental values ​​of this country. I think Jonathan Arac, in his essay “From Huck Finn as Idol and Target,” recognizes a frank but fundamental truth in answering the question of why critics have continued to adamantly defend this controversial novel over the years. Arac argues that Huck Finn is regularly defended by critics because he has become a cultural idol. With this iconic reputation, the novel benefits from immense literary power which allows its controversial content to still be debated almost 130 years after its publication. These debates can continue because there is, as Arac writes, "a long tradition of using Huckleberry Finn as the basis for statements proclaiming what is truly American" (437). Therefore, those who believe that Huck Finn is not an appropriate representation of American values ​​are often considered anti-American. This idolization of Huck Finn is unique from other classic American novels because it sanctioned the widespread use... middle of paper...... that of the author, and in reading the sublime, we are " elevated”, “as if we ourselves had produced “what we hear or read” (454). I agree with Arac that this sublime feeling is partly responsible for the idolization of Huck Finn. Most readers can relate to and respect Huck's decision because they want Jim to become free and they want to believe that Huck is taking a conscientious stand against a segregationist nation. However, the reader does not remember that ultimately Huck's rebellion does not result in Jim's freedom and that Jim has always been free. It may therefore seem that the critics who fiercely defend the text are, in a sense, defending their own morality. This sense of sublimity, coupled with immense pride in America, is forever linked to the novel and it has inspired critics to defend it at all costs, as a fervent worshiper does for his idol..