Continue analyzing this passage from Common Sense. Is the phrase “A pretty business indeed” meant to be straightforward or sarcastic?

sarcastic - by simple sense that we cannot use the word pretty to describe a business as a whole.

We need to see the passage

Explanation:

if there is no passage the answer is straight ford otherwise if we don't have the passage we can not tell if the author is joking.

isb

explanation:

ahw

the answer is solomon northrup. he was a free-born african american, abolitionist and professional violinist that was drugged, kidnapped and sold as slave in 1841 and remained in captivity until 1853 where he regained his freedom with the of the then-governor of new york, washington hunt. he wrote and published his memoirs "twelve years a slave" in 1853, and in this text, he tells the story of his escape thru one of louisiana's swamps (the great pacoudrie swamp) in which he ended up covered in green slime from crossing the surface of the dead water.