When the narrator describes the original props associated with the lottery, we learn that they've all been lost to time; however, there is a newer black box that has been used longer than the oldest person in town has been alive. Mr. Summers, the man who runs the lottery, often asks about building a new one that is less shabby and worn, "but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box," and "every year the subject was allowed to fade off without anything's being done" about replacing it. This is a prime example of conformity. It's not like the box being used is the original box and carries some sacred meaning; further, it's not as though the actual box is crucial or important in some way. It isn't special—it's just a box. One would think, then, that it could be replaced fairly unproblematically, and yet it seems that most people are unwilling to speak up—they conform to those around them who don't speak up. And so, despite Mr. Summers's requests, the splintered and chipped box remains in use.
Furthermore, Mr. Warner scoffs at the other town that might be giving up the lottery, calling the inhabitants a "'Pack of crazy fools.'" He says that there's "'Nothing but trouble'" in giving it up. No one really seems to wish to contradict him here. The town conforms to the tradition that Mr. Warner espouses because it must seem safer or just easier to not rock the boat. The other town, however, is questioning the value of conformity, apparently, as are the other places that "'have already quit lotteries,'" according to Mrs. Adams. We hear that it is possible, then, to break with conformity and rebel against tradition, as these other places are doing it.
There are many examples of conformity and rebellion in The Lottery. The story is about a town that hosts an annual "lottery" for population control. Even though nearly every member of the society knows that stoning someone to death is probably wrong, they all conform as it is an accepted form of control by the government.
Even the children in the society are okay with the lottery. In the beginning of the story, you hear about two young kids trying to pick the biggest rock around the lot to use. The reader is not told why they are looking for the biggest rock until the end of the narrative, but we see that even the kids conform to the lottery. Children imitate their parents because they think that is what is acceptable. Children see their parents and friends' parents stoning one random person year after year and that begins to become normal to them.
In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," the village members largely conform to the practice of the lottery because the villagers have done so for generations. Characters like Old Man Warner are symbolic of the older generation that clings without question to practices that may not continue to be beneficial for the community. Tessie, however, is the outlier in the story: she arrives to the lottery drawing late, and she is ultimately the one who ends up drawing the black spot that signifies her death. Tessie's rebellion prompts the reader to question the role of tradition and whether people should blindly follow traditional practices or revise them to suit the development of culture over time. Jackson's story may be read as an allegory, so research into the cultural practices of groups of people may provide a context for analyzing "The Lottery."
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