The Crucible: It's Easy To Blame Anyone The book The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is set back in the late 1600's based on Puritan beliefs tells about many people accused of witchcraft in Salem Massachusetts and hung for it. They believe that they will be “purified” if they strip away all the extras of the mass by taking the ceremony, splendour, and fun activities out of it. The Puritan religion is reduced to the simplest biblical terms. They also believe in the Doctrine of the Elect. They accept that certain people are predestined by God to be saved and that the devil selects certain individuals to be bewitched. Another belief the Puritans acknowledge is theoc