​Scholars have tried to explain the multiple contradictions present in the book of Ecclesiastes. Among the proposals, there is the existence of more than one voice reflected in the book, the citation of traditional sayings and the refutation of them, or merely a reflection of life itself. Neither of these explanations has considered the colonial reality of the context of Ecclesiastes. It is my claim that the social, political, and economic contradictions of the book of Ecclesiastes are a reflection of a colonized mentality. At the same time, a reading taking into account the colonial context of this wisdom book understands the exhortations to enjoyment appearing throughout the book as tools of resistance. To prove this contention, the dissertation will focus on a postcolonial and feminist interpretation of those passages referring to the king (Eccl. 1-2; 4:13; 8:2-4; 5:8), oppression and corruption (Eccl. 4:1-8; 5:8-17; 7:7), women (Eccl. 2:7-8; 7:26-29), and the exhortations to enjoy life (2:24-26; 3:12-13; 3:22; 5:17-18; 8:14-15; 9:7-10; 11:9-10).

The Puerto Rican concept of "jaibería" -a reference to the way a mountain crab (a "jaiba") move sideways in order to go forward- explains how the character named Qohelet (the Preacher in many English translations) expresses the ambiguity of the contradictory views on the figure of the king, the issue of oppression and injustice to the poor, the ambiguous portrayal of women. As Ramón Grosfoguel and Frances Negrón-Muntaner explain, "jaibería" refers to the collective practices of non-confrontation and evasion," a way of subverting the dominant discourse for one's purpose. This is a strategy which "privileges ambiguity over clarity." The use of "memes" will illustrate the contradictions of the Puerto Rican colonial reality and the way of resisting it, and are used as a heuristic device in order to understand the proposed passages of Ecclesiastes.