Who is the narrator of The Great Gatsby and what type of narration is it?

Nick Carraway tells this story in retrospect, looking back
at it, after Gatsby's murder, after he comes back from the East. Nick functions as a
participant, first-person narrator. Because he is a minor character in the story, he is
both involved in Jay Gatsby's world (and draws the reader into it), yet he maintains a
somewhat objective point of view (POV) and tone throughout most of the
novel.

Before this story begins, Nick (like Gatsby)
has just returned from The Great War, and he shares Gatsby's ambitions to live the
American Dream. Unlike Gatsby, however, he "wanted the world to be in uniform and at a
sort of moral attention forever" (chapter 1, pg 2). In the same breath, Nick
acknowledges that Gatsby is exempted from his scorn for moral disorder because "there
was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of
life"(chapter 1, pg 2).

Therefore, immediately in chapter
one, Nick is established as a minor character with two conflicting desires. On one hand,
he has an interest in maintaining a sense of moral order in the world. This corresponds
with his objective POV and tone as the narrator. He's neutral, nonjudgmental. On the
other hand, the very first thing he reveals to the reader is his father's advice to him:
"Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone . . . just remember that all the people in
this world haven't had the advantages that you've had" (Chapter 1, pg
1).

As a character himself, Nick is conflicted. He wants to
maintain a moral order and yet remain nonjudgmental of the moral disorder around him
(the riotous parties, drinking, fighting, cheating, criminal activity, debauchery). This
conflict in Nick's own character creates an interesting tension as the novel
progresses.

In contrast to Gatsby's life of riotous parties
and criminal activity, Nick is the character who stands for moral order. He attempts, at
the end, once he becomes disgusted with the callousness and debauchery of the characters
in the world around him, he attempts to restore order, to do the right thing (invites
Gatsby's "friends" to his funeral, etc.)

Is Nick a reliable
narrator? Can we trust his POV?

We can to a large
extent. Nick says his cardinal virtue is honesty. We have no reason to question this or
distrust him. And yet, we have to consider the various and limited sources of
information Fitzgerald provides about the character of Gatsby himself in this novel. We
have Nick's memory of events (memory is fallible, Nick is a minor character in Gatsby's
life); there is also a childhood schedule in the copy of "Hopalong Cassidy" Gatsby's
father brings to the funeral (a testament to the type of child Gatsby was); consider
Gatsby's own account of his past (his encounter with Dan Cody); consider what his party
guests claim and speculate about him (also consider how little they know about him); and
think about what Jordan says, what she tells Nick about how Gatsby and Daisy
met.

How reliable is Nick's account? ... Happy
analyzing!