In Rushdie's interview (around 20 minutes in), he says that understanding reality means grasping the whole picture. He also states that the world has become "too fragmented... for anyone to see everything". Rushdie explains that those who don't necessarily see their own realities as a whole and instead see it as a smashed mirror is insane. Saleem can definitely be called crazy, but throughout the novel he's putting the pieces of the mirror (reality and his history) back together, thus being relieved of the cracks that consume his life (he says that maybe Padma's love can put him back together, but also suggests he's going to die no matter what).
"Looking upwards into the mirror, I saw myself transformed... reminded me vividly of my grandfather Aadam Aziz on the day he told us about seeing God... The young-old face of the dwarf in the mirror wore an expression of profound relief" (514-515). Saleem hasn't necessarily put all the pieces of his life together because he's still contemplating his death, but he decides to write about the future instead. He's finally done writing about the past, seeing the smashed mirror coming together once and for all.
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