Great question--Nick begins the novel by telling the reader how objective he is, but as one reads the novel, he or she can see that Nick is actually quite subjective (or opinionated). For example, in Chapter 1, right after Nick discusses his nonjudgmental attitude and explains why he came to New York, he lapses into a description of Tom Buchanan. His description of Tom is anything but objective. When he sees Tom on East Egg, Nick uses phrases such as "cruel mouth" and "powerful body." He also seems critical of Tom's wealth when narrating that Tom is so rich that he can travel around with his polo ponies.
Throughout the rest of the novel, Nick's opinion of others is most obvious in his descriptions of their physical characteristics and actions--he doesn't focus on their words. When Nick describes Jordan Baker as being an "incurable dishonest," he cites examples of her ruining a friend's car and her cheating at golf; he does not quote her lying, but instead lets her actions speak for her character.
In regards to Nick's narrating in past tense, this stylistic choice mainly affects Nick's opinion of Gatsby. One has to wonder if Nick would excuse Gatsby's lies and involvement in bootlegging so easily if he were telling the tale in real time; for some of the objections that Nick has to Tom's character should also be directed toward Gatsby (taking a married woman as his mistress), but because Nick knows how tragicallyGatsby's story ends, he is softer in his criticism of the title character.
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