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What was Hemingway's purpose in writing "The Old Man and the Sea"? (Was it to teach, to explain, to tell a story, to express, etc.?)

I tend to think one of Hemingway's "lessons" for readers to take away from this novel is that we must ALWAYS dream and never give those dreams up.  Even though Santiago is unable to catch the marlin, he still dreams big after he returns from his journey, dreaming of those lions :-).  Despite being injured, exhausted, and battered from his fight with the marlin, he does not let it break his spirit and he does not give up on his dreams.  Being able to "shoot" for a lofty goal and/or dream we have is something that motivates us to be better at what we do and to try harder and to never give up!