Read the summary. margaret atwood's the handmaid's tale, set in a future dystopian society, follows the journey of the handmaid offred. in this future totalitarian state, offred and many other women are forced to serve masters and their families. they are even forbidden to use their own birth names; the name "offred" literally means "of fred," as her master's name is fred. based on the summary, which type of conflict does the handmaid's tale explore? man vs. man man vs. nature man vs. self man vs. society